USAF KC-10`s working against ISIS - CNN

Flying with the planes fueling the fight against ISIS

By Fred Pleitgen, CNN Senior International Correspondent

Updated 1442 GMT (2242 HKT) November 24, 2016 

 

US service members spend holiday in Battle.

Story highlights

·         Not all Americans will be home enjoying turkey and football this Thanksgiving

·         CNN joined crew of the KC 10 Extender, America's most versatile refueling jet

·         These flying gas stations are an important asset in the air war against ISIS

CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen and his crew are embedded with US air refueling forces.

Over Iraq and Syria (CNN)This Thanksgiving, while most Americans are at home with their families enjoying their turkey dinners, some are overseas, in harm's way, serving in the fight against ISIS. Some are on the ground in places like Iraq and Syria, but others contribute to the fight from the air.

The US-led coalition against ISIS relies heavily on airpower to help ground forces from the Iraqi military, Kurdish troops and militias and Syrian groups advance on the terror group's strongholds in Iraq and Syria.

We got the rare chance to ride along with the crew of America's largest and most versatile refueling jet, the KC 10 Extender, on a mission supporting Operation Inherent Resolve to oust ISIS from its strongholds like Mosul and Raqqa. The crew, led by Capt. Clark Palicka, has been flying almost nonstop for months.

"It's a dynamic airspace, a challenging environment. But it's also very rewarding flying," Palicka said. He's from New York and, like all the others involved in combat in the Middle East, didn't make it home for Thanksgiving -- spending it in the air instead.

An airborne gas station

The KC 10 crew started off by refueling two F15 Eagle strike aircraft. The boom operator, Staff Sgt. Uriel Escamilla, carefully helped the jets hook up to the tanker so the fuel could flow. Not an easy task at 400 mph over the Iraqi desert.

Refueling while both aircraft are in the air, flying at 400 mph, is no easy feat.

"It is two moving aircraft, but they are moving at around the same speed. So at the end it is about the rate of closure that the aircraft has towards us, when they are in position and we can make contact," Escamilla said after finishing the refueling.

 

On board the French nuclear carrier battling ISIS

The KC 10 Extenders are the United States' primary aerial refueling planes in the war against ISIS. They can carry more than 300,000 pounds of fuel and easily remain on missions for more than 10 hours, giving fuel to a wide range of aircraft. On our flight we witnessed the KC 10 servicing C-130 Hercules cargo planes and also A 10 Warthogs that are often used to hit ISIS targets right on the front lines.

"It gives us global reach and global power," Palicka said. "It allows us to project power where we normally wouldn't be able to. A good example is when we fly into Iraq. Many of the planes are not based in Iraq, they are based elsewhere. But their ability to take off, come into the airspace for an extended period of time, is only possible because of air refueling."

A crew member walks toward a KC 10 back on the tarmac.

A mission worth missing the holidays for

In the distance we could see Mosul, ISIS' biggest stronghold in Iraq, with thick plumes of smoke billowing overhead. Fighters for the terror group have laid massive oil fires around the city to try to obstruct the operations of the planes the KC 10 was refueling. It's a desperate measure as mostly Iraqi and Kurdish forces are battling to try to retake the city.

"I think we are making a huge difference here," co-pilot 1st Lt. Tyler Johnson said as he was monitoring the altitude, speed and heading of the KC 10 over the battlefield.