U.S. pilots train Finns in aerial refueling operations

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The 100th Air Refueling Wing's latest training exercise was Finnish before it even began.
A crew of about 10 Airmen traveled to Tampere, Finland, May 2 to participate in a week-long exercise in which U.S. Navy F-18 Hornet pilots taught their Finnish counterparts to refuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker. 

It's the first time U.S. Air Forces in Europe has deployed a tanker team to Finland for an air-to-air refueling operation. The Finnish Air Force has been flying F-18s since about 1995, yet air-to-air refueling is something almost entirely new to the country's Hornet pilots.

According to the Finnish Air Force's 21st Fighter Squadron's operations officer, a captain who asked to remain anonymous due to government policy, some of the unit's pilots have refueled other aircraft in air, but the majority of them are inexperienced with the procedure.

"This provides an extension of our forces," he said. "This will allow us to be in the sky longer."

The captain said the training helps the squadron, and the service as a whole, meet a government requirement to be able to deploy outside Finland to support NATO forces. Although Finland is not a member of NATO, it is a part of the organization's Partnership of Peace program, which USAFE also supports.

"This opens our eyes to a much wider operating area," he added.

One of the primary missions of the 100th ARW is providing air refueling support to the United States' European allies, said Capt. Aaron Torczynski, KC-135 aircraft commander. The 100th ARW is the sole refueling unit for the European theater, supporting NATO members and broadening the range of U.S. air assets flying around the globe.

Everyone involved with the training was enthusiastic and eager to learn and the tanker crew was especially proud to participate in this historical mission, Captain Torczynski said.

"Everyone here is working seamlessly as a team, because we all know the significance of this mission," he said. "There is nothing but absolute professionalism out here from everyone involved."

Captain Torczynski said the Finns have been supportive on all aspects of the mission, from airborne operations to assisting U.S. Air Force maintenance Airmen with pre- and post-flight duties.

"The aircrews and pilots have given us fantastic training opportunities," Captain Torczynski said, "while the small group of maintainers we brought here has worked tirelessly to ensure we're ready to fly each day."

The U.S. Air Force crew arrived in Finland about a week after a pair of U.S. Navy F-18 instructor pilots began teaching the Finns the fundamentals of air-to-air refueling. While they fly the same type of aircraft, the similarities between how the countries' aviators operate them are sparse.

"It's the same airframe, but there are a lot of differences," said Navy Lt. Chris Williams of Strike Fighter Squadron 125. "It's very interesting to see how people do different things with the same equipment."

Each of the 16 Finnish pilots who were trained required a minimum of three flights to become qualified for air-to-air refueling: one flight in the two-seat F-18D model with an instructor and two in a single-seat F-18C.

Each pilot aimed to have six solid connections - or "contacts" -- with the refueling receptacle. While 18 contacts are needed to be fully qualified, each pilot's qualification is based on feedback from the instructors and is ultimately decided by the squadron commander.

Once qualified, the pilots will assist in the instruction of the rest of Finland's F-18 pilots.

The Finnish pilots aren't the only ones receiving training from the exercise. Since the U.S. Air Force doesn't fly any fixed-wing aircraft that refuel with the probe and drogue system used by the F-18, the boom operators in the back of the KC-135 are also gaining experience from the training, Captain Torczynski said.

"Any time these guys get to step outside the norm and hone their skills on something they don't see every day is a great benefit for the Air Force," he said.

There are no plans for the U.S. military to return to Finland for this type of mission soon because the training will be taken over by the qualified Finnish Air Force pilots.

"This training not only allows Finland to reach out and assist other nations, but it helps build strong partnerships between the United States and our European allies," said Captain Torczynski.