U.S. Air Force trains A-10 refueling from U.S. Marine Corps tanker

A U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules refueled U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft during the Advanced Tactics Aircrew Course at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph, Missouri, on August 13, marking the first time the joint refueling capability was integrated into a course sortie, according to the 139th Airlift Wing.

The tanker belonged to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252. The A-10s were assigned to the 303rd Fighter Squadron, an Air Force Reserve Command unit.

The pairing works because of a probe and drogue adapter fitted to the A-10’s nose, converting the aircraft from its standard boom refueling configuration to the probe and drogue system used by C-130 variants. TWZ reported in April that the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center led the effort to develop and test the adapter, in response to what the Air Force described as an urgent combatant command requirement.

“Once the combatant command issued the requirement, all of the standard acquisition processes began immediately, but everyone involved understood the urgency,” Lt. Col. Luke Haywas, A-10 Combined Test Force director, told TWZ. “The SPO, ARCWERX, industry partners, and supporting units each brought critical expertise to the effort. Nothing was shortcut or compromised from a technical or safety standpoint. We just accelerated every step we could.”

The Air Force said the capability gap emerged after the retirement of the KC-10 tanker fleet and while KC-46 certification remained pending, leaving A-10 Warthog units dependent on KC-135 aircraft for aerial refueling. The probe adapter lets A-10s refuel from HC-130 and other C-130 tankers instead, whose speeds and altitudes the Air Force said are more compatible with A-10 operations and closer to the aircraft’s close air support and combat search and rescue missions.

The adapter is designed to be installed by flight-line personnel and can be added or removed in a matter of hours, according to the Air Force, allowing units to switch an aircraft between boom and probe configurations depending on the mission.

Since 1983, the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center has provided advanced tactical training to airlift aircrews from the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, Air Mobility Command, the U.S. Marine Corps and 17 allied nations, according to the 139th Airlift Wing.