NORTHERN TERRITORY, Australia –
U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptors assigned to the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron conducted hot pit refuels alongside Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 75th Squadron at RAAF Base Curtin, Australia.
A hot pit refuel is an Agile Employment concept designed to sustain airpower by expediting refueling efforts. This display of interoperable execution in an austere location demonstrated seamless force integration and efficient collaboration between Allies.
“We demonstrated the ability for USAF and RAAF to integrate F-22s with F-35s and deploy outback to a bare base in western Australia,” said “Faux”, 90th Fighter Squadron F-22A pilot. “This mission was a proof of concept of our ability to fly, fight, and win any time, any place, anywhere with our Allies and partners. RAAF Curtin is a strategic location in ensuring maximum flexibility and the security of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Airmen from the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Generation Squadron and RAAF personnel drove the logistics for the operation, including the movement of support personnel, fuel and cargo.
“We’re willing to take risks if it means better agility and combat capability,” said Master Sgt. Luke Ashman, 27th Expeditionary Fighter Generation Squadron aircraft section chief. “The execution of this went very smoothly, the RAAF seems to operate on the same wavelength as us.”
The tactics executed and the lessons learned during the operation provides a paramount advantage to regional security and reinforces Pacific Air Forces’ priority to respond rapidly and effectively to potential future crises and contingencies.
“It is always a challenge going into locations that are not fully developed bases,” said Faux. “Our goal in going was to continue to develop techniques and procedures for non-standard operating locations and prove that we can rapidly and effectively deploy air power to any location, no matter how remote. By bringing our support personnel and jets from both the USAF and RAAF, we were able to gather invaluable data points for utilizing this base for agile employment in the future.”
Through integrative training efforts with Allies and partners, the U.S. remains interoperable, flexible, and ready to integrate with regional and global counterparts to sustain a free and open Indo-Pacific.