The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program recorded a first the week of July 27 when an international aerial refueling tanker not operated by Air Force underwent refueling certification trials with a United States aircraft.
A conventional variant F-35A, the AF-4 aircraft, aerially refueled from an Italian KC-767 tanker, according to a statement from the F-35 program office. During the flight, the KC-767A and its Italian military crew completed 25 boom contacts with the F-35A and successfully offloaded 16,000 pounds of fuel. Lockheed Martin [LMT] spokesman Mike Rein said Aug. 6 the 16,000 pounds of fuel was transferred in one continuous contact for the first offload of fuel. The other contacts, he said, were test points, but not a transfer of fuel.
The mission took place at Edwards AFB, Calif., and testing is planned to continue there until the end of August. Rein said the conventional F-35A refuels via a boom, while the F-35B and C variants refuel via drogue.
Italy operates a fleet of four KC-767A tankers, a derivative of the Boeing [BA] 767 commercial aircraft. Rein said the next planned aerial refueling test effort will be with an Australian KC-30. Testing start date is still in discussion, he said, but will be no earlier than September.
The F-35 is developed by Lockheed Martin with subcontractors BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman [NOC].