While cruising at an altitude of 23,000 feet, sitting in a comfortable over-wing seat of a modified Airbus A330, you could be forgiven for thinking you're flying on a commercial airline, until a Japan Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jet appears metres from the left wing tip requesting a 'tank of gas'.
This is the reality for the crew of a 33 Squadron KC-30A multi-role tanker transport aircraft during a refuelling mission on Exercise Pitch Black 2024.
After taking off from RAAF Base Amberley in south-east Queensland, the aircraft holding 90 tonnes of fuel headed north to the Exercise Pitch Black training area where the crew could be refuelling any one of the 140 aircraft from the 20 nations taking part in the exercise.
Air mobility officer Flying Officer Ethan Tattersall is behind the fuel delivery system controls in the cockpit with a virtual-reality setup any gamer would be thrilled to operate.
"We use a 3D vision system which helps with depth perception, making it look like real life even though we are seeing it through a camera," Flying Officer Tattersall said.
"We manipulate the boom using two joysticks and once we attach to the receiver aircraft we can pump the fuel."
As part of the exercise, the crew refuelled Indonesian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons and Japan Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-2 fighter aircraft from the rear refuelling boom, showing that RAAF aviators can integrate and work together with Australia's allies anywhere and anytime, which is the essence of Exercise Pitch Black.
"We can refuel most types of aircraft the RAAF and our international partners have here on the exercise, either from the rear boom or the drogues which deploy from under each wing," Flying Officer Tattersall said.
After a mission lasting 10 hours, with a number of aircraft refuelled, the KC-30A itself needed a top-up for the journey home.
In a spectacular sight amidst a setting sun, a multi-role tanker transport from the French Air Force moved overhead, lowered the boom and delivered fuel into the KC-30A via a receptacle above and behind the cockpit.
"Within 15 minutes of offloading fuel to the Japanese and Indonesian aircraft, we were reconfigured to receive fuel from the French tanker," Flying Officer Tattersall said.
"This training with other Defence Forces from around the world on exercises like Pitch Black is invaluable and shows how well we can seamlessly work together."
After a long and successful mission providing essential fuel for RAAF and allied partner aircraft, the 33 Squadron KC-30A crew safely landed back at RAAF Base Amberley, debriefed and prepared to do it again the next day on Pitch Black.
