Joint fuels effort allows airlift to keep rolling in Uzbekistan

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Andrea Knudson
  • U.S. Central Air Forces-Forward Public Affairs
KARSHI-KHANABAD AIR BASE, Uzbekistan (AFPN) --  Keeping deployed C-130 Hercules and transient C-17 Globemaster IIIs fueled up takes a joint effort that includes Air Force fuels technicians, Army fuels distributors and civilian contractors.

They are responsible for fueling up aircraft and ensuring the fuel is clean, dry, serviceable, and available.

Airmen of the fuels management flight are assigned to the 416th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron. They move, test, pump and track more than 1 million pounds of fuel a day here.

The flight has seven fuel trucks, and each truck holds about 6,000 gallons of fuel, said Master Sgt. Scott Ross, the flight’s superintendent who is deployed from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.

“We mainly refuel C-130s and C-17s here. A C-17 takes about four trucks to fill and one truck fills a C-130,” he said.

To refuel the aircraft, the Airmen move jet fuel from the fuel farm to the trucks and back to a parking area where they keep the trucks, Sergeant Ross said.

“Six trucks are always kept full -- with one truck empty for taking fuel out of any aircraft that may require maintenance,” he said.

Besides refueling planes, the fuels Airmen also inspect and maintain equipment and test fuel samples weekly.

“We … test for water and particles. It’s important to keep water out of the fuel,” Sergeant Ross said. “We have to ensure the fuel’s clean with no contaminants providing only top specification fuel to the aircraft.”

The fuels Airmen get by with help from fuels Soldiers, Sergeant Ross said especially his counterpart, Army Sgt. 1st Class Gustave Bloom, fuels accountability officer for Logistics Task Force 191.

Sergeant Bloom, deployed from the 26th Quartermaster Supply Company at Hutier-Kaserne Base in Hanau, Germany, is responsible for all class-three products here including jet fuel, oil, anti-freeze and various petroleum products. He takes the fuel’s baton after it is pumped.

“I verify the inventory sheets for payment and submit all documents to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service,” Sergeant Bloom said. “It’s a 10-day billing cycle. I try to forecast what the requirements will be and order fuel pending those upcoming requirements.”

Airmen and Soldiers work together here, sustaining a professional relationship. Sergeants Ross and Bloom maintain tight communications, talking on the phone usually four to five times a day. But getting the fuel to the base is another process altogether. That is where the contractor comes into play.

Fuel supplies are brought here and pumped through a pipeline to the fuel farm on base by contractors.

“We store jet, retail and diesel fuel in six fuel storage containers or bags, each capable of maintaining (about) 200,000 pounds of fuel,” said Steve Bullock, fuels foreman. “We test and quantify the fuel products.”

Timely and effective joint cooperation from Airmen, Soldiers and contractors has allowed mission accomplishment, Mr. Bullock said.

“We’ve had instances where we’ve resupplied remote locations … in Afghanistan,” Mr. Bullock said. “Additionally, we sometimes require aerial replenishment to continue our own day-to-day operations. Our collective capabilities have defined our unwavering ability to get the fuel to those who require it.”