By Mike Yeo
An ongoing exercise is part of growing military cooperation between Australia and the U.S.
In the blue skies above the pristine waters of the Coral Sea, four Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jets slide into formation off the left-hand quarter of the Airbus KC-30A tanker, circling at 26,000 ft (7,924 m) approximately 120 miles (192 km) northwest of the city of Brisbane, capital of the Australian state of Queensland. Taking turns refueling off an aircraft type more commonly used as an airliner, the Super Hornets take on 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) of aviation fuel each by flying a retractable probe into a basket at the end of a hose trailing from a cylindrical pod hanging off the tanker’s wings. It is an extremely delicate aerial ballet conducted at a few hundred miles per hour which is surprisingly quick to complete. A mere 20 minutes elapses between the first sighting of the fighter jets from on board the tanker to the last one breaking formation with the tanker having taken on the requisite amount of fuel.
The jets, all belonging to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and flying from RAAF base Amberley, located approximately 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Brisbane, are taking part in Exercise Talisman Saber 2013, a biennial combined exercise between the armed forces of Australia and the United States, held mainly on Australia’s mainland and surrounding waters/airspace between July 15 and August 5. The primary objective of the exercise is to improve interoperability between the armed services of both countries. After the midair top up, the Super Hornets head north to the vast Shoalwater Bay training area in Central Queensland to support Australian ground troops and American Marines carrying out maneuvers below.
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