US Air Force Genius Method to Transport 40 Tons of Jet Fuel by Plane 

The US's logistics capabilities are mind boggling. I was in Afghanistan for two years and was never ceased to be amazed of how much material we could get to a land locked country on the other side of the world.

We did this in the late 60's in Vietnam. Used C-123 Providers and C-130 Hercules aircraft, with large bladders in the cargo area. Only 1 on the C-123, or 2 on the C-130. Usually diesel or JP, never smelled any gasoline though. Every week we had to make flights to outlying units, usually by C-123, land on metal runways (loud !!), pull up to the POL area which was often just a collection of barrels, and offload the required fuel. Take off and go to the next stop, if we had fuel left. Lots of fun. As a note, we sprayed Agent Orange the same way. Bladder in the back, fly the C-123 low and slow, and discharge through sprayers in the back. Spilled a lot of that stuff on the floor, and we walked all through it. "It isn't toxic to humans, only kills whatever plant life it touches". Yeah, right.

We learned a lot during WWII. If you're interested in mind boggling logistics, find a book entitled, "48 Million Tons To Eisenhower" by Lt Col Randolph Leigh. It's about the incredible supply chain effort created to fight in the ETO by US forces in World War II. Really good read.

I hitched a ride on a KC-10 at McGuire AFB, NJ to Portland, OR. It was roughly five hours to fly out to the refueling racetrack pattern over the Pacific just west of Portland and Seattle. We descended to 28,000 feet to start refueling 4 -F15s and 4-F18 and gave each one 3,000 pounds and landed in Portland. About an hour later all 8 jets landed in Portland and I was fortumate to meet each one of these guys on the ground as they came thru the opns center. It was a training mission for each jet as well as aircrew training on the KC-10. The captain flying the KC-10 was a United Airlines pilot as his civilain job. It is a fantasic experience to get to meet some of these professionals. You are not going to fly from Portland non--stop and refuel 5 times enroute over the Atlantic to the mid-east unless you are a real pro. thank God Ameica has men like this willing to risk their lives for our safety. I'm retired Air Force myself and spent 5 years in Vietnam with B-52 combat operations and did that on 7 trips across the Pacific while trying to rasie 5 children. It is not easy.

If you ever wonder why we can't reduce greenhouse gas...

It's always good to remind the Russians how important logistics are while giving them a quick fix to the supply lines.

In 1975, I was involved in a massive refueling operation in Alaska.we put three rubber fuel inside C130 transports. The ice caps never retreated so the barges could not take supplies to the back slopes. They called on us to transport fuel and dry cargo up there.

Thanks for showing my old job. i was a KC-135 boom operator for 6 years and a KC-10 boom operator for 14 years. . Yes the boom method is one at a time, but with the faster fuel transfer rate, i could get i could get way more total fuel transferred to more aircraft faster than the drogue method, and that's not a shortcoming.

It's bonkers to think about how many people and processes take place just to make sure fuel delivery takes place in the military. You start to see where our 700 billion goes every year. Sometimes I feel like our entire society is propped up on stilts. So many industries are required to keep everything running smoothly.

I'm a fuel hauler, and have made jet fuel delivery. We have to abide by quality control standards in this process as well. The road transport tanker must only be used for jet fuel. Prior to loading, we must inspect the residual fuel and visually inspect the compartments. After loading, the fuel is tested on site, and all control and access points are sealed with numbered documentation before departure. The fuel is tested again before unloading. VERY strict. This goes for commercial jet fuel as well.

I hate to break the news, but bladder tanks date back to the KC-97 refueling tanker. (1950s). It was a modified cargo plane to haul fuel.

As an American military veteran (USN), and as a human one cannot help but be impressed and awe struck by the capabilities of our military. While other nations can do most of the things we can do; no nation in history has come even close to the scale of what we can do.

I love it when the military performs its "Elephant Walks".👍🏻

The design and production of some of these bladders are made at ILC Dover, Frederica, Delaware. Just down the road from where I use to live in Felton. They also produced the Apollo era spacesuits.

NY ANG uses these bladders in C-130s to deliver fuel from McMurdo Station to Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station all the time.

Having nearly 400 large tanker aircraft is just insane. That's why the USAF air transport fleet is so flexible.

I enjoyed this at 1.5x playback speed.

this is why us military will ALWAYS be the best in the world. attention to details is so important.

My goodness America is gorges, and American military is beautiful!

As a line service technician. We also serve the military and have to di those test daily, weekly and once a month.

I was a crew chief on this plane. They are fun capabilities are pretty impressive. Just their ramp can hold as much as the entire c-141.

I’m an old fart now but I was fortunate to be in a position when in the Navy to take part in refueling aircraft, both delivered and received. I also did the same as a guest of the Air Force. Hats off to all those air crews.

That's how my dad flew AC-119's from Dayton Ohio to Phang Rang Vietnam in 1969. I saw them when I was 13, he and 5 other planes flew through McChord. :-)

Tactics wins battles. Logistics wins wars.

So proud of those men and women in the US military.

Enjoyed the technical side of this presentation, a lot of work goes into these operations, most of which unglamorous.

by far the best informative video on the USAF . . . real good work on the video, hats off to the thousands of men and women of the USAF . . .

Big thanks to all working Americans that’s why our military are the best in the world.

as a fueling manufacturing, storage, or distribution tech in the civilian world of all types of fuels from gasses, liquids, and all temps or pressures? I LOVE THIS STUFF!!

Never knew the black bird is that massive before. The refueling really gives a better idea how big it is.

That's so weird because when I was in the airforce, we had to purge those same bladders with water for I think 30 minutes.. and then purge it with an air hose for 6 hours before folding them up and putting them on that exact aircraft

Really appreciated the way of supper working. Thanks Brave warriors and scientific advances method. Thanks

Love the APS guy kneeling doing pointless hand signal and not helping with the pallets. I’ve helped load cargo on the bird a lot during missions and I’ve never seen someone do that. Once the kloader is in you don’t have to do what he was doing.

JP-4 was phased out for JP-8 in the very late 90's 1) it was very flammable , 2) The Air Force would only need 2 fuel types in inventory, 1 - JP-8/DL-8 ( DL-8 replaced Diesel for ground vehicles/generators) and MUP (Military Unleaded Premium).

War is soooooo incredibly wasteful.

That has to cost serious money, but what an operation.

I slept traveled across oceans as well as jumped out of them,amazing machines.

most of the jet fuel is shipped via ship...not plane. What they are showing is for different short term things

I use to do this in the Air Force back in the 70's. We hauled to 3000 gallon bladders in a C-130 and the pump module on the back door. Ir was called bladder birds.

The B52 raid in the Gulf War demonstrated the logistical power of the US. The bombers took off from the states, flew to Saudi, launched their weapons, then returned to the states. I believe it took 57 refueling tanker ops. And then the build up prior to the war in Desert Shield was equally impressive. The old saying "armatures focus on tactics, professionals focus on logistics" is how we operate. Worrying about tank battles is not as important as worrying about keeping them fueled. The guys on the ground will do what they have to do, just get them what they need to do it has always been key

Air Force fuels guy here. It aint and hasnt bean JP-4 in 35yrs. Airforce has been delivering JP-8 or JAA now for a long time. JP-4 goes back to the early 80's.

I was a pol guy in vietnam in 1970 and yes we filled and delivered fuel all over the country in everything from c7a caribou c123 c130 ch47s in rubber bladders of all sizes

This is excellent editing and sound scaping.

Very useful and important documentary and information, ever seen as a US citizen 🇺🇲

Bravo aux ingénieurs pour le magnifique boulot . Bravo aux ingénieurs pour le magnifique boulot .

Nothings more terrifying taking off and smelling jet fuel ...a leak! Loadmaster!

The absolutely insane amount of fuel used by our country is mind blowing. I don't understand how we haven't run out of fuel already. I'm scared for the future. If we can't move Tons of fuel to remote bases, how will we defend from a far.

they were using bladders in the high Artic over 30 years ago when I worked for pancandian oil n gas at Rae Point. we also used em for surface fuel storage on the pack ice

Freedom. Justice. Democratic governance. Thank you America for defending our shared core-values. ⚖🗽🇺🇸

Phantastic... Enough for 8 Jets for one hour more on air...

This all looked pretty good, but they didn’t talk about hot pitting. Planes land and with engines screaming. You walk in under them and refuel. It is a method designed to rapidly turn jets.

We did this on the C-130 numerous times in theatre and we also transported heavy construction equipment to dirt strips so they could make runways capable for landing "C-17s" 😎.

Excellent presentation. Thank you!

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It's crazy how they transport all that fuel in essentially reinforced zip lock bags.

That’s an Extremely Scary load, we have the KC 130 here in Knoxville

God bless the United States Military. Thank you all for your service.

We shipped fuel bladders that were placed in areas in the desert for refuel stations for ground vehicles an aircraft I understand it worked like a charm

Some Aeroplanes like the E-3 Sentry C-130J RAF versions can have both the flying boom and probe method. On the E-3 Sentry right side probe while having Flying Boom. For newer tanker Aeroplanes the boom operator is placed on the cockpit where the old engineer position is if applicable.

Bonjour, Merci c'est un beau reportage très intéressant.

every video you upload is a gem, filled with wisdom and fun!

They were fueling SR71's air to air before 1991, we could always tell when they were going to take off in Okinawa because the tankers would leave a hour prior to get to altitude. I was in the SeaBees near Kadena Airbase 1987. As I understood it the SR71 leaked until the skin got up to temp and needed to refuel shortly after take off??

Bladders were used in Vietnam to transport fuel.

Everybody likes the fighter jets but I like the BIG jets. The US military has all the coolest planes.

U S A proved that nothing is impossible as the word itself explains " I'm , possible". Appreciatios from The Islamic Republic of Pakistan 🇵🇰

F ing genius USA military logistics again. Big love from Australia.

700 to 800 billion dollars a year protecting... our right to unaffordable healthcare.

I never thought about the US flying in all the fuel that we consume overseas.. Of course it makes sense after hearing it.

Americans understand the need for logistics, the same way our empire relied on its logistics. To dominate/control foreign countries. The states have always been up to something. They realised the vast amount of natural resources that they sat on, and calculated that they could achieve global dominance. I'm 100% sure this would have been discussed somewhere at some point in US history.

I have always dreamed of a mid Atlantic, mid pacific.. etc flying drone tanks that can remain stationary even if it were to be powered by nuclear energy (to be able to function for years and years) !

Have you ever wondered how a jet holds fuel period? Giant rubber bladders in the wings and mid section. Not a giant leap that you might transport it that way.

الله اكبر لا اله الا الله اشهد ان لا اله الا الله واشهد ان محمد رسول الله

I feel like it woulda been faster and more efficient to just reverse a tanker trailer onto the plane and disconnect it from the cab.

13:41 watching those C17 engines rock around got me 😳 I’ve never seen that much movement on jet engines compared to the rest of the airframe

Good God, C-17 burnt twice as much fuel as it transports. 35546 gallons to transport 3x6000 gallons

It's amazing that the Earth pumps out so much jet fuel,you would think the wells would be DRY LOOKING AT THIS.

You know what a country is upto when they have 750 military bases in 80 foreign countries

Never seen the process before 👍

At $40. to $80. per gallon depending on final air base.

C17s with a HAHO (high altitude high opening)delivery and smaller prop planes with a LALO (low altitude low opening) delivery, those were fun because we would set up "goal posts" for the pilots to aim the pallets at.

Walked through a C-5 Galaxy in the early 2000's at an airshow at the Bangor international airport.

Truly a great power. In terms of weapons as well as logistics, there is hardly any other country in the world that can match.

Roughly 10k gallons, not very efficient in my opinion

Just think of when the Air-Force "goes green" to fight climate change and uses battery powered aircraft!

Rubber fuel bladders were loaded with av gas and flown over the Himalayas during WWII by B-24 Liberator aircraft. My dad was a pilot on 24 of those missions. Any spark could light them up. The planes designed for 10,500 pounds of bombs were instead carrying 16,500 pound of high test av gas, thus 3 of 10 air crew members were left at home as well as the heavy twin 50 cal machine gun bubble on the belly.

The C-17 produced by the same company that produced the latest model of the Boeing 737. This aircraft had many problems, but the military threw enough money and changes at it to make it work for a while.

Gracias fluctúa me imaginaba tankes metálicos o plásticos como los de ahora en vehículos. Saludos

New challenge keeping aviation fuel guzzling Abrams running.

Great video, can’t wait to see the size of the batteries when they go green, 😛😝 Not thought that one out yet , eh. 😊

Having liquid fuel measured in pounds is unfathomable. I can think in litres and gallons, but pounds, I'm out in the wilderness. It must be an American thing.

Weve been doing this for at least 20 years 👌

Excellent video tour of a miniscule portion of U.S. Military complexity. 👌🏻

My favorite part was the multi tool being used to pry open the hose clamp, I felt that.

Wow wow good brother and sister TNX GOOD Family First good business ok thanks

Or they could air drop replaceable batteries, and origami solar panels. Then the tanks could even have rail guns, and laser weapons.

Interesting in technical and strategical terms. I question the efficiency of these operations, as 40 tons of fuel can potentially fill the fuel tanks of only four FA-18s. I furthermore wonder, why they make such a huge story about transporting fuel instead of just filling the tanks of the "transport" aircrafts at their most, and release part of the aircrafts fuel at destination...

So nice to hear the men speak about the operations they did in these fine mashines

Being an indian we feel proud to be in C-17 fleet🎉🎉🎉

Fuel burn is 750 gal/hour for each engine. Holy diesel fuel Batman. I wish I were rich enough to afford to fly that .

Burning fuel to transport fuel....👌