THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200436
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JASON HIDALGO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
A hose with a tip that looks like an electric fan grill slowly descends from the back of an Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, 22,000 feet above the Atlantic.
In the rear of the plane's belly is a small cockpit-like enclosure where an operator lies face-down in front of a control panel, guiding the hose, or ``boom,'' with a small joystick while looking through three windows that provide a view of the clouds and blue seas below.
A Navy F/A-18 Hornet roars into sight, revealing a red nozzle that slowly rises from an opening on the right side of the fighter's nose.
The boom and the nozzle connect and within minutes, 2,000 to 15,000 pounds of fuel flows from the flying tanker into the gray jet.
Welcome to another marriage between the services; a Navy-Air Force segment of military joint training, where erstwhile rivals become high-flying buddies.
``It definitely improves relations between the different services,'' said Maj. Greg Magee, one of the tanker's two pilots. ``It makes us more familiar with each other and what each service is doing.''
Airborne refueling is one of several operations in the Joint Task Force Exercise conducted this month by the U.S. Atlantic Command in Norfolk.
The exercise, designed to test combat readiness and enhance joint operation training, involves more than 18,000 service members from each branch of the armed forces.
``The main purpose of these exercises is ensuring communication between the different branches of the armed forces to help achieve a common goal,'' said Air Force Maj. Bruce Alexander, public affairs officer for the joint task force exercise.
The need for joint training intensified after the Persian Gulf War, Alexander said. The military's focus shifted from nuclear deterrence to countering conflicts fought on a conventional scale.
``Since Desert Storm, there has been increased emphasis in joint operations training,'' Alexander said. ``We went to war in a joint effort, and that's how the military plans to operate in future conflicts.''
One of the advantages of different military branches working together is efficiency both in and out of the field, Alexander said. Joint operations draw on the expertise of different services instead of just one.
``With the recent cutbacks in the armed forces, being able to draw resources from the different services just makes it easier for everybody,'' Alexander said.
The exercise involving the refueling of Navy and Marine jets with an Air Force tanker took place this month off the coast of Virginia Beach.
On Tuesday afternoon, jets from the Norfolk-based carrier America approached the tanker sporadically, in random groups ranging from two to six. Most went smoothly. But turbulence, at times, took its toll.
Late in the day, air currents battered a F/A-18 Hornet as Air Force Tactical Sgt. Rick Shontzler gripped the boom's control stick. Suddenly, turbulence severed the connection, sending fuel spraying out of the boom like a mist.
Both Shontzler and the Hornet pilot tried the exercise again but ended up with the same results, and the whole sequence was aborted.
Within seconds, another Hornet came into view and Shontzler maneuvered the boom again into place. This time, a connection was established and the refueling was a success. The Hornet slowly drifted back as the boom folded back in, having refueled its last jet of the day.
``That was a sporty one back there,'' Shontzler said with a big smile, as he stepped out of the boom cockpit. ``Usually, we just break the connection and retry in cases like that, but the pilot and I were able to work things out. That's where the training pays off.'' ILLUSTRATION: A MILITARY MARRIAGE
Color staff photos by Lawrence Jackson
A Navy F/A-14 Tomcat, above, refuels over the Atlantic about 100
miles off the North Carolina coast. The refueling is one of several
operations in the Joint Task Force Exercise conducted this month by
the U.S. Atlantic Command in Norfolk. A KC-135 Stratotanker, right,
provides fuel for the F-14s and F-18s on board the carrier
America.[photo appears on p. B1]
by CNB