NO(^86) THE MAGAZINE 02 87
SCANDINAVIAN
AVIATION MAGAZINE
The Arrival of the Phoenix
The C-135FRs are now 54 years old and keeping
them in flight is, in itself, an exploit: “It’s not
always easy but we get there”, Lieutenant-Colonel
Franck admitted. “When we were in Libya, what
you may have trouble understanding is that on
an old fleet, 97% of missions were assigned
to us by a JFACC (Joint Force Air Component
Major)”. Despite the age of the Stratotankers, if
FAS have been entrusted with virtually all missions
by the multinational organisation, it was mainly
for their know-how in AAR operations, but also
in management of their fleet. “Somehow, we are
asked how we do this with such an old plane”,
Lieutenant-Colonel Franck admitted.
“We need to give thanks to our technical teams
who do great work, who do not count their hours
and who work day and night. We have a dedicated
human resource, which works hard for the
missions of this aircraft”, said Major Jérôme. “At
Istres, we have one of the few units to have our
group of technical teams located and under the
same command of our squadron. Thanks to them,
the aircraft is operational and in the best possible
conditions”, he added.
The American tanker ensures versatility and
flexibility required to perform various missions as
reminded by the French mentor: “The C-135FR
has a configuration that allows us to refuel all
fighters. And since it’s an old plane, it has the
merit of having certifications to refuel all aircraft.”
The Libyan campaign lasted nearly eight months,
but at what cost?
According to Lieutenant-Colonel Franck, the
Airbus A330 MRTT “Phoenix” will revolutionise
AAR: “FAS are reviewing everything (the number
of crews by plane...), because they know how to
do with a plane, but tomorrow, they will have X
planes with 97% availability and there, it will be the
surprise...”, he concluded.