ALEXANDRIA, VA – Even as the threat of the COVID-19 virus has shuttered much of the country, Navy and Marine Corps forces training and certification continue. However, for a mission to be considered successful in today’s environment, it must not only meet requirements but be completed without exposure to the virus. As a result, the Navy and Marine Corps are seeking additional support to keep pilots in the air and off the ground as they fly to their final destination. Given the current shortfall in aerial refueling support, Navy planners have turned to Omega and its fleet of KC-707 and KDC-10 aircraft to help meet their augmented requirement. 

One such successful mission took place last week. Fighter Squadron Composite TWELVE (VFC-12) aircraft were tasked to fly to NAS North Island, a transcontinental flight away from their home base of NAS Oceana, Virginia; to ensure their prompt arrival, Navy planners reached out to Omega for support. On Thursday, May 14th, following other support missions, two Omega aircraft relocated to Scott/Mid-America Airport in Belleville, Illinois to position for the aerial refueling mission. Just after mid-day on Friday, May 15th, two flights of five VFC-12 F/A-18 aircraft took off from NAS Oceana, 20 minutes apart, to join Omega’s two airborne tankers. At one hour and twenty minutes into the mission, each flight met their respective tanker and continued westbound, navigated around significant inclement weather, and ultimately detached near Albuquerque, New Mexico, to successfully complete their journey to NAS North Island. Both Omega aircraft also reached their final destinations without an additional stop making this a successful mission across the board, and across the country.