Synopsis

For fighter pilots, few sights are as welcome as an air-to-air refueling tanker. These flying gas stations enable pilots to stay airborne longer, fly further, and perform more complex missions. The European Air Transport Command, in cooperation with NATO, provides this service for Allied fighters. NATO tanker operators honed their skills during European Air-to-Air Refueling Training 2018 in the Netherlands in April 2018. EART 2018 is a dedicated air-to-air refueling training for tankers and crews in order to become familiar with realistic scenarios to which they are not regularly exposed. Another objective is to maintain proficiency and enhance mutual knowledge of multinational tanker aircraft. Footage includes shots of various fighter jets refueling from French C- 130 Hercules transport aircraft. Some of the shots were supplied by the French and Dutch Defence Ministries.

Teaser

When fighter pilots need extra fuel, they turn to air-to-air refueling tankers, their gas stations in the sky.

Transcript

1. (00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – FRENCH C-160 TANKERS PERFORMING AIR-TO-AIR REFUELING DURING EXERCISE 2. (01:04) CLOSE-UP – AIR-TO-AIR REFUELING FROM INSIDE JET COCKPIT 3. (01:08) MID SHOT – AIR-TO-AIR REFUELING FROM TANKER CAMERA 4. (01:11) CLOSE-UP – FIGHTER PILOT PERFORMING AIR TO AIR REFUELLING 5. (01:16) MID SHOT – DUTCH TANKER PERFORMING AIR-TO-AIR REFUELING 6. (01:19) CLOSE-UP – AIR-TO-AIR REFUELING FROM INSIDE JET COCKPIT 7. (01:26) WIDE SHOT – FIGHTER JETS BREAK AWAY AFTER SUCCESFUL AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING 8. (01:33) WIDE SHOTS – VIEW FROM FIGHTER JET’S COCKPIT DURING AIR TO AIR REFUELLING 9. (01:40) - MAJOR CHRISTIAN, GERMAN AIR FORCE “All the assets which are involved in ground fights or air to air fights they have the with air to air refueling the ability to stay longer in theatre, they don’t need to return which gives us, the forces more efficiency if they can stay longer in the area they need to be. 10. (02:03) - MAJOR CHRISTIAN, GERMAN AIR FORCE “We have a very wide range for refueling. It goes from 5,000 feet up to 35,000 feet The speed range goes from 200 knots up to 300 knots, so it depends on the receiver – where they need us to go, what their performance is, but that aircraft is quite capable for all the refueling ranges.”