A USAF KC-135 Stratotanker has performed a joint semi-annual aerial refuelling training exercise with 30 Royal Danish Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcons, aimed at strengthening operational readiness and mutual trust between the Nato allies.
The KC-135 Stratotanker, during the eight-hour training mission, offloaded more than 40,000t of fuel and provided training to Danish pilots who regularly fly combat sorties with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
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Allied Air Component Command Headquarters Ramstein spokesman Manfred Reudenbach said a Danish F-16 fighter pilot, who has already received gas from a US KC-135 during air-to-air refuelling, will handle this situation routinely in a real-world environment.
Specialised KC-135s, by using a system that segregates fuel tanks spread throughout the wings and belly of the airframe, can refuel several types of receivers, even those that burn different types of gas.
A multirole fighter aircraft, the F-16 Fighting Falcon has nine hardpoints for weapons payloads, one at each wing tip, three under each wing and one on the centreline under the fuselage.
