USAF C-130 crews flying tactical airlift missions in Iraq routinely fly nine sorties in a day, often making multiple trips in and out of the same fields. According to one crew of six flying out of Balad AB, Iraq, their single day effort keeps 27 trucks and assorted support and security vehicles off some of the most dangerous roads in Iraq. The C-130s haul it all—from toilet paper to helicopter blades—reports the Red Tail Flyer. Capt. Marc Ayala, a pilot with the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, said, “We see the war pass through our cargo bay.”
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”