JP-8 fuels RAF Mildenhall toward mission success

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Preston Webb
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  A KC-135 Stratotanker taxis into position on the runway. It lurches forward slowly at first, inch by inch and foot by foot, gaining momentum until it's rushing down the runway at breakneck speeds. The aircraft lifts off the ground and soars into the sky, driven by powerful engines.

What fuels and drives the engines to have the power to lift such an immense aircraft? Jet Propulsion grade 8.

JP-8 is a kerosene-based fuel used in a variety of aircraft and equipment on RAF Mildenhall.

"JP-8 has basically the same characteristics as diesel fuel," said Senior Airman Dakota Ferris, 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Service Center controller from Mackinaw City, Mich. "We could run our diesel trucks off JP-8 if we really had to."

Though it's possible to use JP-8 in about anything that runs on diesel fuel, it can cause unwanted wear and tear to engines that aren't specifically designed to use it. Because of this, it's used primarily in aircraft.

Due to the amount of aircraft on base, there's a high demand for JP-8, which means that a steady flow of fuel to base is necessary.

"Normally, we set up a monthly request for fuel in advance," said Staff Sgt. Kevin Searls, 100th LRS Fuels Service center supervisor from Kingwood, Texas. "If there's a change in the amount of fuel we need, I have until Friday the week before to make changes."

With the influx of new aircraft, including the arrival of the CV-22B Ospreys, RAF Mildenhall's demand for fuel will increase.

"Obviously, we're going to need more fuel on hand," Searls said. "We've already got two trucks dedicated to refueling the Ospreys."

The base receives most of its supply of JP-8 via a cross-country pipeline, Searls said. When the fuel arrives on RAF Mildenhall, it's routed into storage tanks around base.

"We are actually able to monitor transfers remotely between tanks in real time," Searls said. "We can see everything from how much fuel is in each tank, to the temperature inside the tanks."

To get the JP-8 from the tanks out to the aircraft, Airmen use R-11 refueling trucks or a fuel hydrant system.

Typically, R-11 refueling trucks are used when less than 30,000 pounds of fuel is required, Searls said. If more fuel is required, then the fuel hydrant system is used.
Most of the hardstands have "pits" or outlets which connect to the hydrant system through a pantograph, a system of expandable pipes, Ferris said. The "pits" allow for easy refueling of aircraft at each hardstand.

To get off the ground, all aircraft need fuel. As a refueling base, it's imperative that RAF Mildenhall has a steady flow of fuel not just to keep its own combat support and expeditionary forces in the air, but to continue to provide and employ global air refueling. Without a steady flow of JP-8, it would be impossible for Team Mildenhall to accomplish the mission.