GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI -- The sun had yet to break the horizon when a KC-10 Extender aircrew arrived at the operations building to prepare for their flight.
Their mission, part of a mobility exercise with Airmen from the 87th Air Base Wing, 621st Contingency Response Wing, 305th Air Mobility Wing and 514th AMW, was to rendezvous with three B-2 Spirits over Oklahoma and refuel each aircraft with 15,000 pounds of fuel.
“Today, we flew from Gulfport, [Mississippi], did a radio silent rendezvous with three B-2 bombers and refueled them, which allowed them to fly further without having to land for gas,” said Lt. Col. David Furr, 2nd Air Refueling Squadron aircraft commander. “When we finished, we flew back to Gulfport, where we will continue the combined exercise.”
All four wings are participating in the annual MOBEX that focuses on deploying and operating in a deployed environment.
Just before the KC-10 and the B-2s were to rendezvous, Senior Airman Brandon Minto, 2nd Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, made his way to the boom pod to prepare for the fueling portion of the mission.
“This is the second time I’ve refueled B-2s,” Minto said. “They’re big aircraft, but I enjoy fueling them.”
In the span of about four hours, the KC-10 aircrew took off, rendezvoused with and refueled the B-2s, and landed back at Gulfport to complete their mission.
“[This refueling mission] demonstrates the capabilities of the AMWs and their ability to provide airlift and air refueling support to combined forces commanders around the globe,” Furr said. “It proves we can do this anywhere, anytime.”