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KC-135 Test Detachment Advances Connectivity, Enhances Survivability

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Nicholas Perez
  • 151st Wing

ROLAND R. WRIGHT ANG BASE, Utah - The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center (AATC) KC-135 Test Detachment, working alongside the Utah Air National Guard’s 151st Wing, continues to demonstrate how warfighter-driven innovation can transform the proven KC-135 Stratotanker into a next-generation asset ready for contested, multi-domain operations.

In July, during Resolute Force Pacific 25 (REFORPAC 25), the detachment tested advanced connectivity systems aboard a KC-135, expanding tactical communications across joint and combined forces. REFORPAC 25, part of the Department of the Air Force’s broader Department-Level Exercise series, tasked units across the Indo-Pacific to rapidly disperse, operate, and integrate across thousands of miles. For AATC, the exercise offered an ideal environment to push new technologies under real-world stressors and demonstrate how rapid modernization strengthens America’s ability to respond in the Pacific.

Building on previous demonstrations, AATC evaluated the Datalink Enhancement–Minimum Viable Product (DE-MVP), a capability designed to fuse data from three Line-of-Sight (LOS) Tactical Data Link networks and multiple Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) connections. Using Advanced Intelligent Gateway technology aboard the KC-135, the system connected joint and coalition mission partners in real time, tightening decision timelines and extending sensing and targeting information across the battlespace.

The capability reduces traditional decision-making cycles from hours to minutes. While conventional intelligence processes often follow a 72-hour battle rhythm from collection to action, the KC-135 platform demonstrated the ability to condense that cycle to near-real time, enabling rapid repositioning and mission execution across contested environments.

“The air refueling enterprise is in a unique position to leverage theater-wide mass at any given moment to connect strategic information with the forward tactical edge, expediting sensor-to-shooter data passage and tightening a global kill web,” said Lt. Col. Spencer Liedl, AATC KC-135 operational test director.

Before modernization, KC-135 crews relied heavily on external agencies for threat updates. Today, enhanced systems provide real-time situational awareness through moving map displays while sharing that information across both LOS and BLOS pathways with national, joint, and coalition partners. This shift enables tanker crews to make timely, independent tactical decisions in contested and degraded environments, turning a traditionally support-focused aircraft into an active node in the command-and-control ecosystem.

The Test Detachment’s advancements extend beyond connectivity. At Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City, AATC is also developing the High Value Airborne Asset (HVAA) Pod, aimed at providing self-protection capabilities to the KC-135 when operating in high-threat areas. The pod represents a significant leap from simple awareness to survivability, ensuring tankers can continue enabling operations even in environments where threat envelopes are expanding.

These efforts directly reflect AATC’s value proposition: delivering combat capability at the speed of relevance. For more than 24 years, AATC has pioneered rapid modernization across the Air Reserve Component—platforms that provide 94 percent of U.S. homeland air defense alert sorties. The Test Detachment’s work aligns with the National Defense Strategy’s top priority of defending the homeland while preparing for great-power competition.

AATC’s approach is built on speed, operational expertise, and a commitment to fielding results—not concepts. The organization leverages rapid acquisition pathways, smart modular designs, and an integrated test model that pairs weapons experts with test pilots, allowing capabilities to be delivered in months instead of years. Project managers remain with programs from design to fielding, maintaining continuity and accelerating development through deep operational understanding.

The KC-135 Test Detachment exemplifies this approach. By maximizing existing investments, ensuring cross-platform interoperability, and partnering closely with industry, the team continues to deliver approximately “80 percent capability at 20 percent cost,” providing meaningful operational advantages while remaining fiscally responsible.

From expanding tactical datalinks in the Indo-Pacific to enhancing survivability for high-value tankers, the AATC KC-135 Test Detachment and the Utah Air National Guard remain at the forefront of Air Reserve Component modernization. Their work ensures today’s aircrews are equipped with the agility, awareness, and protection necessary to meet the demands of tomorrow’s contested environments.

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