PACIFIC OCEAN– As a testimony to the ironclad alliance and ever-increasing interoperability in between the U.S. and Australia, a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker with RAAF No. 33 Squadron, took a trip from RAAF Amberley, Australia to Camp Blaz, Guam, to supply aerial refueling to 2 U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II airplane designated to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 214, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, for a transpacific flight, May 19, 2024. On May 3rd, 8 F-35Bs and more than 200 Marines from the “Black Sheep” of VMFA-214, left Yuma, Arizona, for Tindal Air Force Base to incorporate with RAAF No. 75 Squadron and No. 3 Squadron. The objective of the release is to boost interoperability and get ready for future workouts and operations in the area through bilateral training occasions. Such training includes fundamental flight maneuvers, tactical intercepts, offending counter-air maneuvers, protective fight air, and offending counter-air strike night flights. Following arranged stopovers in Hawaii and Guam, 6 jets continued to Australia while 2 stayed behind for basic upkeep. When those airplanes were all set to leave a couple of days later on, the arranged U.S. tanker ended up being not available for the last leg. “When U.S. refueling ability was challenged and the Tanker Airlift Control Center could not get us to the goal, the RAAF stepped up and got us there,” stated U.S. Marine Corps Maj. John-Paul Reyes, the operations officer for VMFA-214. Without doubt, an Australian KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker from RAAF Amberley was rerouted to offer important aerial refueling assistance. “Coordination with RAAF HQ Air Command, RAAF Air Mobility Control Centre, and No. 33 Squadron was smooth; interaction and linking through various point of contacts fasted and went beyond expectations,” Reyes stated. “It was clear they were all in to support the U.S.; they prioritized our objective and comprehended the significance of U.S. F-35Bs showing up in Australia to support follow-on tasking.” The smooth coordination was enabled by 30 members from throughout several, combined entities. They were all committed to getting the U.S. fifth-generation fighters to Australia. “Opportunities for the RAAF to release USMC systems and airplane throughout the Indo-Pacific area declares the strength of our collaboration with the United States,” stated Group Captain Stephen Monypenny, Commanding Officer of RAAF No. 86 Wing. The F-35B alternative offers brief takeoff/vertical landing ability partnered with supersonic, radar-evading stealth to the Marine Corps and the combined-joint force allowing air operations from austere, short-field bases and a variety of air-capable ships around the globe. The RAAF runs just the A variation, the KC-30 is geared up to refuel the F-35B, a testimony to interoperability in between the allied countries. The KC-30 moved roughly 45,000 pounds of fuel to the 2 F-35Bs, 3 times the optimum payload of the jets. This supports a projected series of 900 nautical miles per refueling and enabled the jets to take a trip the 2,096 nautical miles from Guam to Australia. By contrast, the KC-30 has a functional variety of simply under 8,000 nautical miles with the ability to unload 50 lots of fuel for as much as 4 hours. The KC-30 is such a high-capacity refueling platform that it can refuel the F-35B numerous times while running in a fight environment without compromising its own abilities. This supports the combined-joint force by extending flight time of the joint strike fighter, while permitting the multi-role tanker to perform other transportation, tactical airlift and protective objectives in assistance of combined air operations. Such abilities, integrated with deep-rooted military ties in between the 2 countries, supply long-lasting bilateral combination and warfighting preparedness. “The interoperability in between U.S. and Australia was the best coordination I have actually experienced in my 15 years in the Marine Corps,” Reyes stated. The set up training happening at RAAF Tindal builds on years of unfaltering allied cooperation and shared assistance in between the U.S. and Australian forces. These joint and combined workouts not just deepen the tactical efficiency of both armed forces however likewise declares their shared dedication to cumulative defense and supporting of a complimentary and open Indo-Pacific. “The Australian and American teams alike take advantage of getting concrete experience in working together to strategy and carry out the relocation,” Monypenny stated. “This improves our capability to task forces in the area, and to deal with the U.S. in assistance of shared security goals.” This operation highlighted the tactical and functional versatility of 3rd MAW and I Marine Expeditionary Force. I MEF constantly trains in the Indo-Pacific, keeping a forward existence and a long-lasting dedication to allies and partners in the area. The effective transpacific combined-aerial refueling objective not just made sure that training goals of the USMC and RAAF were fulfilled without disturbance, however more significantly highlights the strong ties in between the U.S. and Australian armed forces.
U.S.- Australian Interoperability Across the Pacific: RAAF Tanker Refuels USMC F-35B for Transpacific Flight – DVIDS
