Testers at Edwards AFB, Calif., conducted flow-rate surge trials with the legacy KC-135 and KC-10 tankers to establish baseline data for evaluation of the new KC-46A Pegasus earlier this month. “We know that the KC-10 and KC-135 don’t cause damage to the receivers in flight,” 418th Flight Test Squadron refueling test engineer Justin Almeleh said in a release. “With successful test data, we can deduce that the KC-46 should have no greater risk of causing damage in flight than any legacy platform we have,” he explained. The ground tests at Edwards, which were held July 26 to Aug. 9, are part of ongoing risk-reduction efforts that will streamline KC-46 testing once it moves to the base. The surge tests saved extensive time and funding that would have been required to procure, integrate, and fly the instrumentation required to gather the same data in-flight, according to the release. Two KC-46s will eventually support the test program at Edwards, officials said.
Hawaii F-22s Wrap Up Deployment to Japan
April 9, 2021
F-22s and Airmen from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, forward deployed to Japan for almost one month to train with Japanese and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft as part of a “dynamic force employment” operation. The Raptors from the Active-duty 19th Fighter Squadron and Air National Guard 199th Fighter Squadron deployed…