This May, Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. conducted a transatlantic mission supporting the deployment of two F-18F Super Hornets flown by a combination of Navy and Boeing test pilots to Payerne Air Base, Switzerland for the Swiss Air Force Flight Evaluation Testing mission. Omega’s KDC-10 provided AAR support to the mission and carried mission essential equipment and personnel from both Boeing and the US Navy.

The mission began at the March Air Reserve Base in California, continued on to Norfolk International Airport in Virginia, then to Bangor International Airport in Maine, followed by a transatlantic flight to Prestwick-Glasgow International Airport in Scotland, before arriving to Payerne Air Base, Switzerland.

Boeing is competing in an $8 billion program for the Swiss Air Force to replace its legacy Hornet fleet. Other competitors include Airbus, Dassault, Saab, and Lockheed Martin. Switzerland’s current fleet of Boeing McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C and D Hornets and Northrop Grumman F-5 Tigers is set to retire in the next several years, making way for a new fleet of aircraft as part of its Air2030 program. Evaluations are expected to continue through 2020 before a selection is made.

Standing in front of the Omega Aerial Refueling Services KDC-10, U.S. Ambassador to SwitzerlandEd McMullen advocates that the Swiss Air Force purchase U.S.-produced fighter jets toreplace its retiring fleet. (Photo credit: SRF Bundeshaus)

Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. is the global leader in commercial aerial refueling, and has completed more than 7,900 missions and delivered more than 283 million pounds of fuel. Omega offers a range of refueling solutions to the U.S. Armed Forces and U.S. allies across the globe.