EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif -- Air Force Flight Test Center supply and contract personnel completed a complete redesign and rebuild of the Base Refueling System. The old network of buried fuel pipes, subject to corrosion and ground contamination, was replaced by an entire above-ground system that would be easier and cheaper to inspect and keep in repair.
The 412th Logistics Readiness Squadron recently took delivery of two of the newest version of the Large Capacity Refuel Vehicle, LCRV, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The LCRV is an aircraft refueling truck designed to receive, transport, store, pump, and transfer turbine and jet fuels. At almost 60 feet long, the LCRV has an 18,000 gallon capacity, three times more than the previous R-11 refueling vehicle. Edwards is one of three Air Force bases to receive the new LCRV and test them. “It’s exciting being able to be a part of this new experiment seeing how these large trucks are able to fuel these large airplanes more efficiently, without having to send smaller refuelers to be able to accomplish the same task,” said Daniel Beasley, a Fuels Distribution Service Operator, 412th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
The larger capacity means fueler crews can cut down on the number of trucks and personnel involved in fueling operations from three to just one. “If you can do it with one truck, it is way better than having to send three people out to that same servicing,” said Mike Nelson, training adviser for LCRV manufacturer Stephens Pneumatics. “The airplane doesn’t care how it gets 18,000 gallons, it just wants 18,000 gallons.”