
A flight of F-15E Strike Eagles of the 366th Fighter Wing deployed from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, receive fuel from a KC-135R Stratotanker belonging to the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron during a mission over the Persian Gulf, on Aug. 30, 2013.
A unspecified number of Strike Eagles and about 300 personnel from the airbase near Boise, are deployed in Southwest Asia. The aircraft are based at an “undisclosed location”: most probably Djibouti, from where an F-15E contingent has been (covertly) operating for more than 10 years in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa as an Expeditionary Squadron of the 380th Expeditionary Operations Group, based at Al Dhafra, in the United Arab Emirates.
Top image credit: U.S. Air Force
Anyone know what’s being bled off the wing tips at the end just after disconnecting from the boom?
It appeared to be excess fuel. Perhaps he was bleeding off fuel to obtain a certain weight profile?
That is the vent ports for the fuel system. Probably just took on a little too much.
Well, that’s right about where the fuel dump pipe is, so I’d assume it was dumping fuel. I have no clue why they would do so right after topping off their tanks though o.o
Could it be done in order to drain the piping from the receptacle to the tanks proper?
Air Force can’t get anyone to wash the window for the boom operator, huh?