Military

By 2nd Lt. Jenny McDonald
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

MCCONNELL AIR FORC BASE, Kans. (AMCNS) -- The boom operator smiled knowingly through the deafening sound of engines as the KC-135 Stratotanker bellowed down the entire length of the runway late in the night on Feb. 3.

"We're heavy tonight," Airman 1st Class Scott Scurlock, 344th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, yelled through the noise.

Flying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, three McConnell KC-135 tankers roared off the runway with 185,000 pounds of fuel to catch the first operational deployment of F-117 Nighthawks for the War on Terror and the fighters' first such deployment since Operation Allied Force. The mission: to ensure the Stealth fighters were fully gassed on their way from Holloman AFB, N.M., and delivered to the next group of tankers over the Atlantic, so they could fly directly into the U.S. Central Command area of operations.

Less than one hour into the flight, lights from a city below littered the skyline through the cockpit windshield.

"This is my favorite part," said Maj. Matthew Evans, 344th ARS aircraft commander of the lead jet. In silence, the crew enjoyed the vision.

Then over the headsets came the confirmation, "Numbers One and Two are with us."

"We'll take them," Evans said.

The two Stealths flew into wingtip position, one on each side of the tanker's wings.

Out the side window, the only sight was bright, white lights mirroring the points of a W and a red, rotating light in the middle. Where was the 117? That was it. No outline, no structural image, nothing but lights that blended with the starry night and a red lighthouse circling through the night.

Number Two decreased speed to move toward the back of the Stratotanker for hook-up on the boom. Scurlock laid flat on his stomach in the boom pod and maneuvered the boom in place to catch the Nighthawk. A little nervous, he took a deep breath. One scratch on the radar-resistant paint could ruin the aircraft's ability to avoid detection.

Black on black and no moon created less than ideal conditions. Night vision was critical.

Over the radio, the boom could be heard, "50 feet".no actual sighting of the fighter, "30 feet" .still no visual contact, "10". the 117 faded out from the dark, "contact." Through the boom pod's large windows, the stealth blended with the darkness. With a steady hand, the boom operator connected and offloaded fuel for more than three minutes. Air refueling number one was complete.

Throughout the long night, the boom operators would perform more than 10 aerial refuelings.

Moving through the night, the Stealth fighters flew over Maine, Canada and the North Atlantic to rendezvous with the next group of tankers. The Northern Lights could be seen in the distance and over the ocean, St. Elmo's Fire jumped from the Nighthawk upon contact with the boom.

Late in the hours of darkness, the new tankers showed up to take over, and the air bridge began its second leg. The 117s eased into formation with the new set of refuelers so they could continue the long trek to the desert.

"They're all yours," came the call from the cockpit. Evans turned the jet toward the land. Mission complete.