Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      190311-F-QN515-0061.JPGAMC extends Osprey capabilities
                        
                        
                        A U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft from the 20th Special Operations Squadron, Cannon Air Force base, New Mexico, is aerial refueled by a KC-10 Extender from the 6th Air Refueling Squadron, Travis AFB California, during an aerial refueling training mission in the air over New Mexico, March 11, 2019. Travis Airmen fly training missions regularly to stay current and be prepared for future mobility operations. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Master Sgt. Joseph Swafford)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        190307-F-VE588-0025.JPGAMC extends Osprey capabilities
                        
                        
                        Two Air Commandos, assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron, look over the edge of the ramp of a CV-22 Osprey aircraft during low-level water training March 7, 2019, over the Southwest region of the U.S. The 20th SOS also performed Tactical Air Refueling, Combat Search and Rescue training, low-level water training, rescue winch hoist training and operating the ramp-mounted weapon system – a .50-cal GAU-21. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Luke Kitterman)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        190307-F-VE588-0037.JPGAMC extends Osprey capabilities
                        
                        
                        A CV-22 Osprey, assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron, hoists up a simulated survivor during Combat Search and Rescue training at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., March 7, 2019. The CSAR training was in conjunction with a Tactical Air-Refueling mission performed with a KC-10 Extender, assigned to the 6th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Luke Kitterman)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

AMC extends Osprey capabilitiesPublished March 15, 2019
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Luke Kitterman
                    
                    
                    27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
            **CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS)  --**CV-22 Osprey aircraft, assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron, performed Tactical Air-Refueling missions with a KC-10 Extender aircraft March 7-11, over the Southwest region of the U.S.

The KC-10 crew, assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Squadron, traveled from Travis Air Force Base, California, to rendezvous with the Osprey aircraft at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet where they conducted multiple TAR missions.

“We are very familiar with our own Air Force Special Operations Command counterparts and have a habitual relationship of getting fuel from them,” said Lt. Col. Charles Mauzé, 20th SOS commander. “So when we have a chance to train with Air Mobility Command aircraft like the KC-10, we jump at the opportunity because that type of asset provides a whole new set of capabilities for us.”

The increase in capabilities is directly related to the KC-10’s capacity to hold a large amount of fuel. Between the six different fuel tanks designed into the frame, the aircraft can hold more than 350,000 pounds of fuel – more than seven times the holding capacity of the MC-130J Commando II aircraft, the familiar AFSOC counterpart Mauzé spoke of.

However, the process of giving and receiving fuel is not universal throughout the different airframes which explains the crucial role this training provides between the two major commands.

“The refueling happens at a considerably lower speed and lower altitude compared to other receivers,” said Senior Airman Mason Wells, 6th ARS boom operator. “As a result, the propellers from the CV-22 tend to create an air buffer between themselves and the aft portion of our aircraft, which makes it feel like they are pushing us out of a level flight path and moving us around. To say the least, it is a very different feeling.”

That different feeling is not only felt by the tanker and boom operator but by the Osprey pilots as well.

“Air refueling differs from aircraft to aircraft which is why it’s important to conduct this training so our pilots familiarize themselves with the different procedures associated with the KC-10,” Mauzé said. “Factors such as the air flow behind the tanker feeling different and the change in altitude are dynamics our pilots need to experience and be aware of. Basically, when we have to perform it down range for a real mission, we want our pilots to think, I’ve done this before, I know how it feels.”

According to Mauzé, that’s ultimately what the purpose of this training comes down to: To have proficient air refueling in a deployed location so that the capabilities of the CV-22 aircraft can be performed longer and more frequently knowing they have the security of a gas station flying overhead.

Those abilities were on display as the 20th SOS also performed Combat Search and Rescue training, low-level water training, rescue winch hoist training and operating the .50-caliber GAU-21 as a ramp-mounted weapon system.
All that was possible in a day’s workload with the fuel provided by the tanker. Its vital role is known by its members who take pride in providing a unique asset to the Air Force’s priorities and lethality.

“Our training only further demonstrates the importance and the necessity of the KC-10, proving yet again that our capabilities as an aircraft to deliver fuel, cargo, and personnel simultaneously are unmatched by any other asset in the Air Force inventory,” Wells said.CV-22 Osprey 



20th Special Operations Squadron 



20th SOS 



Tactical Air-Refueling 



TAR 



6th Air Refueling Squadron 



MC-130J Commando II 



air refueling 



KC-10 Extender 



KC-10 



AF 



Air Force 



Air Commando Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil