Page 19 - Aerotech News and Review 5-20-16

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Putting the KC-46 Pegasus through its paces
by Bo Joyner
Edwards AFB, Calif.
As the Air Force gets ready for the arrival of
its newest aerial refueling and strategic military
transport aircraft, a diverse group of airmen is
working hard to make sure the KC-46A Pegasus
is ready to meet the service’s needs. Lt. Col.
John Mikal is one of them.
Mikal, a reservist KC-135 Stratotanker in-
structor pilot assigned to the 370th Flight Test
Squadron, is also a KC-46 test pilot and member
of the team that’s putting the Pegasus through a
series of critical pre-production tests.
Boeing developed the KC-46 from its 767 jet
airliner and is scheduled to deliver 179 of the
aircraft to the Air Force by 2028. The first 18
combat-ready tankers are scheduled to be deliv-
ered by August 2017.
To meet that timeline, Boeing is working
closely with the Air Force to put the KC-46
through its paces. The company’s first test air-
craft, a Boeing 767-2C, touched down at Ed-
wards Air Force Base. Calif., for the first time
Oct. 15 for several days of fuel onload fatigue
testing. During these tests, the KC-46 flew in
close formations with a KC-135 and KC-10 Ex-
tender to see how the aircraft performed in dif-
ferent aerial refueling positions. While no fuel
was passed, Boeing engineers were able to test
the stress and strain on the Pegasus.
Mikal flew as the aircraft commander of the
KC-135 during the first aerial refueling maneu-
vers of a KC-46 behind a KC-135 and in close
formation with both the KC-10 and KC-46 on
Oct. 19. Two days later, he flew as a pilot aboard
the KC-46 during an aerial refueling receiver
onload fatigue test behind a KC-10. He was the
first Air Force reservist to fly the 767-2C, the
commercial test variant of the KC-46.
“It was a tremendous honor to participate in
and conduct KC-46 testing with the test team,”
Mikal said. “The KC-46 will be an amazing
operational aircraft, and I’m humbled to have
the opportunity to be a part of this amazingly
talented test team.”
Mikal isn’t the only Air Force reservist from
the 370th FLTS qualified to take part in the KC-
46 testing. The 370th has two KC-46 initial cad-
re boom operators — Master Sgts. Aaron Ray
and Scott Scurlock — who will be taking part in
Pegasus refueling testing in the coming months.
The 370th FLTS is an embedded Air Force
Reserve unit with a mission of providing KC-
135 aerial refueling test support to both opera-
tional and test-configured receiver aircraft at
Edwards AFB’s 412th Test Wing. The Reserve
unit also leads management and execution of
the business effort mission at Edwards AFB,
which utilizes operational Air Mobility Com-
mand KC-135 and KC-10 tankers to support
routine refueling of non-test configured 412th
TW receiver aircraft.
Since some 370th FLTS pilots are test pilots
and some of its boom operators are flight test
boom operators, they augment the KC-135, KC-
April 1, 2016 • Volume 30, Issue 4
www.aerotechnews.com
Volume 12, Number 4
Cpl. Eli Marvin – a Soldier with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment – shakes hands with James Pinnix, a Vietnam War Veteran, here,
March 19. Pinnix, of Orange, Calif., was a Navy Hospital Corpsman who served with the United States Marines in Vietnam, 1966-67.
Story and photos by Gustavo Bahena
Public Affairs Office
The National Training Center and Fort Irwin honored Vet-
erans of the Vietnam War era during an event here, March 19.
On a clear, warm day, just before the start of spring, the com-
manding general of this Army combat training center – Maj.
Gen. Joseph Martin – proclaimed, “Welcome Home!” to the
Veterans during a ceremony celebrating their military service.
Approximately 500 Veterans and their guests sat inside a
cavernous tent with Soldiers and leadership during the late
morning ceremony. They had received a hero’s welcome from
the start of the day, which began with a motorcycle escort to
“Painted Rocks,” just outside the installation gate. They took
a group photo there and then participated in a parade in front
HHL16 provides new capabilities to JTACs
By Airman 1st Class Nathan Byrnes
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. —
Special Operations Command, De-
partment of Defense components and
members from the U.S. Navy, Army,
Marines and Air Force took part in the
operational assessment of the Hand
Held Link 16 radio produced by ViaSat,
March 21-25, 2016, on the Nevada Test
and Training Range.
The HHL16 provides a tactical data
link to joint terminal attack controllers
and pilots, and enables digitally aided
close air support integration.
“The HHL16 radio will give JTACs the
ability to transmit friendly positions and
send messages directly to fighter aircraft
via an extremely secure and encrypted
pathway,” said Capt. Richard Waters,
605th Test and Evaluation Squadron,
Hurlburt Field, Florida, tactical air con-
trol party air liaison officer, JTAC. “This
capability significantly reduces fratricide
and provides all players in the close air
support arena the ability to positively
identify friendly from foe.”
This operational assessment is the first
of many that the new HHL16 radio will
undergo during its improvement periods.
“The HHL16 radio is in the early stages
AF Hangar acceptance testing checklist paves way for new standards
By Susan Lawson
AFCEC Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. —
Fire protection engineers convened
recently for the final acceptance test of
an aircraft hangar foam fire suppres-
sion system at Nellis Air Force Base,
Nevada.
Scan with
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tTooocuornwneecbtsite
Vol. 9, No. 4 Serving Southern Arizona’s military community, including Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
AN AEROTECH NEWS AND REVIEW PUBLICATION • WWW.AEROTECHNEWS.COM
Thunder and Lightning Over Arizona draws thousands
Two A-10C Thunderbolt IIs fly in tandem during a demonstration at the Thunder and Lightning over Arizona Open House at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., March 12, 2016. The Desert Lightning
Team demonstration included A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, HH-60G Pave Hawks and an HC-130J Combat King.
Train the world’s greatest F-35 and F-16 fighter pilots
INSIDE
StorIES
 Cadets soar in AZ, 3
 From dice to advice, 4
 Tuskegee Airmen, 6
 Warn kids about drugs, 7
 5k color run, 13
INDEx
Action line ............................. 2
Briefs..................................... 3
Spotlight ................................ 4
Diversions ........................... 16
Sports.................................. 19
quotE of thE wEEk
“Be dependable, competent, ef-
ficient and aggressive. Understand
how and where you fit into the
wing’s mission and why your job is
important. Finally, be the Airman
who finds a way to ‘yes.’”
Col. Robert Novotny
48th Fighter Wing commander
Aerotech News ANd review
Published the first & third Friday of each month, Aerotech News and Review
is distributed to aerospace companies in the CA high desert including AF
Courtesy photograph Plant 42, Edwards AFB, Mojave Airport, and surrounding communities.
Lt. Col. John Mikal, a KC-46A Pegasus test pilot, is part of the team that’s putting the tanker through a series of critical pre-production tests at To access the digital edition of Aerotech News and Review scan
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. the QR code to the left.
10 and KC-46 flight test and aerial refueling program,” Col. Chris Coombs, the KC-46 sys- bility of the next-generation of tankers to the www.aerotechnews.com
flight test for Air Force Test Center programs. tem program manager at the Air Force Life warfighter supporting our global missions for
Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson years to come.” high desert wArrior
On Jan. 24, the KC-46 successfully completed AFB, Ohio, said after that flight. “We have had
its first in-flight refueling demonstration as it plans on paper and data from simulation labs, After the refueling test with the F-16, the KC- Published the first Friday of each month, High Desert Warrior is distributed
passed 1,600 pounds of fuel to an F-16C Fight- but this in-flight demonstration shows we are 46A had a robust in-flight refueling demonstra- to military and contractor personnel at Fort Irwin NTC, including 2,000 on-
ing Falcon. truly making progress on bringing this capa- tion schedule for the next few weeks. The test base housing units, offices and high traffic locations on base as well as
with the fighter jet fulfilled the requirement to locations throughout Barstow and surrounding communities.
“These are exciting times for the KC-46A connect to a light/fast receiver aircraft. The re-
maining tests with the boom were scheduled to To access the digital edition of High Desert Warrior scan the QR
Boeing photograph by John D. Parker use an A-10 Thunderbolt II as the light/slow re- code to the left.
ceiver and a C-17 Globemaster III as the heavy
A KC-46 refuels AV-8B Harrier II March 1, 2016. receiver. www.fortirwinnews.com
Mikal said the KC-46 test aircraft will be Bullseye
spending a lot of time at Edwards AFB in the
coming months as it goes through aerial refuel- Published every Friday, Bullseye is distributed to military and contractor
ing certification testing with a host of Air Force personnel on Nellis and Creech AFBs, including all offices, high traffic
and coalition aircraft. locations and housing units as well as locations throughout Las Vegas, NV
“There are about 18 different aircraft that To access the digital edition of Bullseye scan the QR code to the left.
need to be tested as they take on fuel from the
KC-46,” he said. “A lot of that testing will take www.nellisafbnews.com
place here at Edwards, and I am ready to help
out with that testing however I can.” desert lightNiNg News
Edwards AFB continues to be the premier Published the first Friday of each month, Desert Lightning News is
base for flight testing the Air Force’s newest distributed to military and contractor personnel on Davis-Monthan AFB,
capabilities, and the Air Force Reserve’s 370th including all on-base offices and high traffic locations throughout Tucson
FTS continues to support when needed.
To access the digital edition of Desert Lightning News scan the
The KC-46A Pegasus is intended to replace QR code to the left.
the Air Force’s aging tanker fleet, which has
been refueling aircraft for more than 50 years.
With more refueling capacity and enhanced ca-
pabilities, improved efficiency, and increased
See TANKER, Page 2
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‘Welcome home!’Published in the interest of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin community • www.irwin.army.mil April 1, 2016
of the NTC headquarters, where Martin, NTC Command Sgt. meet our national security needs,” Martin said.
Maj. Edison Rebuck, and their families waved and greeted the The guest speaker, Joseph Galloway, was introduced by Col.
Veterans riding atop military trucks, motorcycles and classic
cars. The route was also lined with hundreds of Soldiers and Scott Taylor, commander of Fort Irwin United States Army
family members, who cheered the procession. Garrison. Galloway is a retired journalist and co-author of “We
Were Soldiers Once … and Young.”
The Veterans continued to receive applause and recognition
as they entered the tent for a ceremony and lunch. Taylor explained Galloway served four tours as a war corre-
spondent in Vietnam. He was recognized in 1998 with a Bronze
Martin expressed that Soldiers and the community was hon- Medal with “V” device for rescuing wounded Soldiers under
ored and humbled to host the Veterans “from three generations fire in Ia Drang Valley with the 7th Cavalry in November 1965.
ago for their service to our nation.”
“He is the only civilian to be awarded a medal for valor by
“Some of you made a long journey to come here … but all the U.S. Army for actions in combat,” Taylor said.
of you have come here from a long life’s journey in a time and
circumstance of faith that brought you in the prime of your life Galloway thanked the former servicemembers in the audi-
to spend a tour of duty, or more, in Vietnam, to serve the United ence and stated, “Welcome home brothers and sister Veterans.”
States in Germany, Korea or elsewhere around the world – to
See WELCOME HOME, page 12
Vol. 66 No. 13
April 1, 2016
of development,” said Waters. “We are U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nathan Byrnes
testing an extremely capable device that A civilian contractor and a joint terminal attack controller use the Hand Held Link 16, which
has been manufactured in a very short enables digitally aided close air support integration during the operational assessment of
time frame. What we have seen so far the HHL16 radio March 24, on the Nevada Test and Training Range. Link 16 was originally
with the testing has been extremely designed for air-to-air missions, but the technology has made the transition to ground forces
valuable and useful for both JTACs and providing JTACs advantages on the battlefield that they didn’t previously have.
fighter aircraft.’
“The ability to have a portable radio
that can transmit messages onto the
Link 16 network is crucial for the future
of conducting close air support in the
21st century. We have always wanted a
standardized, secure method to imple-
ment digitally aided CAS and this tool
will give us that capability.”
The operational assessment of the
HHL16 and the data collected during the
assessment will help with the development
and timely integration of the device.
“It is crucial that we integrate as early
as possible with the organizations and
companies that manufacture the battle-
field systems we utilize in the military,”
said Waters. “Early involvement provides
the developers the insight they need to
make the systems more practical for the
warfighter.”
Staff Sgt. Edward Wambolt, 422nd
Test and Evaluation Squadron lead joint
terminal attack controller instructor stat-
See hhl16, on page 3
The addition to the 99th Air Base Force Civil Engineer Center at Tyndall depending on the fire protection engi-
Wing fuel cell maintenance hangar was AFB, Florida, has been developing neer overseeing the test. There was no
the first Air Force hangar fire suppres- standardized checklist to be followed uniformity even within agencies.
sion system to be tested with new Uni- for all future acceptance tests around
fied Facilities Criteria, which requires the world. “In order to provide a more reliable
fire suppression system activation by fire suppression system and reduce or
triple infrared detection technology. The standardized project acceptance eliminate false activations, we need both
checklist effort began after it was dis- oversight and consistency,” Biddle said.
Judy Biddle, hangar fire suppression covered that the hangar fire suppres- See checklist, on page 3
subject matter specialist at the Air sion acceptance testing process differed
Find us online at WANted: Motivated volunteer to lead the Nellis Retiree Affairs
Nellis AFB & Office. Would you be interested in a dynamic position that helps Las
Nellis Bullseye Vegas area Retirees? Do you enjoy teamwork and making a differ-
ence? Please contact the 99th ABW Commander Action Group at
702-652-9900 or email 99ABW.CAG@us.af.mil by April 15.
April 1, 2016
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chris Massey) www.davismonthanafbnews.com
April 8, 2016 thuNderBolt
Vol. 16, No. 14
Published the first Friday of each month, Thunderbolt is distributed to military
and contractor personnel on Luke AFB, including all offices and high traffic
locations on base as well as locations throughout the Phoenix West Valley
To access the digital edition of Thunderbolt scan the QR code to
the left.
www.lukeafbnews.com
Airman 1st Class Shan Ridge
The Red Bull Demonstration Team performs during the Luke Air Force Base 75 Years of Airpower air show.
Luke Celebrates 75 Years of Airpower
Story by aerial demonstration team and F-16 pilots in the Air Force. munities and allowed Airmen
56th Fighter Wing the first-ever performance and “This was my first air show,” the opportunity to interact with
PUbliC AFFAiRS appearance by the F-35 Heri- and thank those community
lUKE AiR FORCE bASE, tage Team, which featured the said Jowellyn Thomas, Good- members for their unwavering
Arizona -- Luke opened its F-35 Lightning II flying along- year resident who attended the support.
doors to a record 425,000 people side the original Lightning, the air show. “It was breathtaking
during its “75 Years of Air- P-38. and I’m really looking forward “The partnerships we have
power” air show April 2 and 3. to the next one!” and the friendships we share
The show provided a glimpse When they weren’t flying, the are absolutely vital to what we
into the history of the Air Force F-35 Heritage Team members Putting together an air show do at Luke AFB” said Brig. Gen.
with jets such as the World War were busy handing out and with more than 40 static dis- Scott Pleus 56th Fighter Wing
II A-26 Invader and a glimpse signing photos for thousands of plays and 11 aerial acts takes commander. “All year long we
into the Air Force’s future with visitors to the base. a team effort. get unending support from our
Luke’s own F-35 Lightning II. elected leaders, businesses and
“Simply stated, the air show Another highlight of the “From successfully screening those who live throughout the
was a tremendous success,” said show was the close air sup- our guests to supporting the Valley — and once every two
Lt. Col. Christopher Bacon, air port demonstration, during best air acts from around the years we get the opportunity to
show director. which the F-16 Fighting Falcons world, my hat goes off to each give something back in the form
The show was headlined by showed off their combat capabil- and every member of my air of an air show. It is our way of
the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds ities. This “live” demonstration show team and the countless saying ‘thanks’ for allowing us
featured pyrotechnic explosions volunteers who made it hap- to be a part of this great com-
to simulate bombs was a crowd pen,” Bacon said. munity.”
favorite and highlighted the fact
Luke AFB trains 97 percent of The turnout highlighted the
tremendous support for Luke
AFB from the surrounding com-
Go to luke.af.mil for Luke Facebook link Use your smartphone to
connect to our website!
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