KC-30A back in the Middle East

摘要

A ROYAL Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport has returned to the Middle East under Operation Okra -the country's mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The Australian Department of Defence announced on June 6 that a KC-30A had recommenced operations with the Air Task Group (ATG) the same month. As Operation Okra was scaled back, by last October the ATG at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates had been reduced to a single aircraft, alternating between an E-7A Wedgetail and a KC-30A, each carrying out four-month deployments. The previous KC-30A rotation ended in October with the tanker involved flying 95 missions and 776 hours over Iraq and Syria and delivering approximately 5.6 million lb (2.54 million kg) of fuel. A final Wedgetail deployment was completed earlier this year.