DVIDS – News – Orchis maintains competitive advantage in Italy

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla.—In an all-out effort, 85 Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 507th Air Refueling Wing support NATO and the 55th Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, to improve interoperability. and strengthened its extended nuclear deterrent. From the 22nd to March 11th.

During the 18-day trip, two shifts of operations, maintenance, and support personnel worked together to complete more than 30 hours of flying over the Adriatic Sea and offload approximately 575,000 pounds of cargo. It will fuel the 555th “Triple Nickel” Fighter Squadron F-16 receivers and ensure successful training for future mobilization capabilities in a high-combat environment.

Lt. Benjamin Pryor, 465th Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 pilot, said the experience was invaluable to the 507th ARW team.

“Being out of the country to accomplish our mission is beneficial to the entire team,” Pryor said. “We always train at our home station, but flying in new environments is extremely helpful in gaining the practical experience needed to hone our future warfighting capabilities.”

From March 6-10, the 507th ARW supported full-scale readiness training at Aviano Air Base, refueling an average of 10 F-16s per flight during numerous airborne training sorties. This training provided 31st FW members with increased readiness in a variety of scenarios.

The 31st Fighter Wing is the only U.S. Air Force fighter wing permanently assigned to NATO’s southern region, and its strategic location south of the Alps allows the wing to provide collective defense. and is critical to NATO’s ability to provide continuous vigilance across NATO airspace.

In addition to onboard refueling, the use of KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft allows flight doctors assigned to Aviano AB to fly and maintain the currency necessary to effectively practice aerospace physiology. I was also able to record the required flight time.

But planning a trip of this scale was no easy task and required many people to work together to ensure airmen received quality training in the beautiful countryside of northern Italy. .