Photo By Airman 1st Class Monique Stober | U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Donovan Cook, a 22nd Maintenance Squadron (MXS) crew...... read more read more
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MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The 50th Air Refueling Squadron from the 6th Air Refueling Wing demonstrated their capability to refuel various fighter aircraft during exercise Bamboo Eagle 25-1 at McClellan Airport in Sacramento, California, February 8-15, 2025.
Bamboo Eagle 25-1 takes place in several areas throughout the Western United States and Eastern Pacific Ocean. The Air Force continues to align and synchronize efforts across the Joint Force to improve interoperability, increase timely data-sharing and unify command and control across all domains.
“I’m really glad that MacDill was able to send out their absolute best operators and maintainers for this exercise, especially the maintainer force,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jonathan Yates, KC-135 tanker task force detachment commander. “The maintainers and operators have been doing phenomenal work with the turns that we’ve been tasked for.”
The success of large-scale exercises like Bamboo Eagle is enhanced by cooperation from bases across the Nation. The tanker task force consists of tankers from MacDill, McConnell, Fairchild and the March Air Reserve Base, simulating dispersed forces with limited communication. Bamboo Eagle 25-1 aims to strengthen Air Force readiness by executing complex military operations that highlight the ability to function in a challenging, fast-paced environment while facing high-end threats at short notice.
“These exercises are the only way we can get close to the theory of an actual fight, allowing us to test our skills in an interactive way,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Tristan Briggs, a pilot assigned to the 50th Air Refueling Squadron. “Every crew showed up strong.”
Exercises like Bamboo Eagle 25-1 help the Joint Force develop people, generate readiness, project power and increase capabilities.The aircrews and aircraft maintenance squadrons working the exercise demonstrated exceptional teamwork and skill in meeting the challenges posed by such an intensive operational tempo.
“The team effort has been phenomenal, if you walked into the tanker task force tent right now you wouldn't be able to tell that we’re coming from four different bases,” said Yates. “Everybody’s working hard in order to get the mission done.”
Over the course of the exercise the tanker task force carried out several operations, providing fuel to numerous fighter aircraft. Bamboo Eagle provided participating units the opportunity to prioritize mission readiness, while ensuring cross-functional combat capabilities are delivered with the speed and agility needed to meet pacing challenges.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2025 16:40 |
| Story ID: | 491283 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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