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157th ARW Airmen shaping the future of refueling

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Curtis J. Lenz
  • 157th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
PEASE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.H. --  Three members of the 157th Air Refueling Wing recently completed a rotation with the Boeing Company, as part of the U.S. Air Force's Technical Order Certification and Verification Team for the KC-46 Pegasus aircraft.

The Air Force Technical Order system provides clear and concise instructions for the safe and effective operation and maintenance of centrally acquired and managed Air Force military systems and end items.

As part of a 40 plus member team, Master Sgts. Steven Warren, Joel LaRose and Jay Gorsline, are responsible for reviewing the information and then translating the information into military terms. The three members work in unison with Boeing and active duty Air Force. Boeing is rewriting the technical orders for the new KC-46 weapon system.

"The knowledge we are getting is invaluable," said Warren, 157th Maintenance Group avionics technician. "By being out there, were playing a key role in the shaping the future of the KC-46."

Warren's first rotation to Boeing was in Mar. 2015, which consisted of two weeks familiarization training with an overview of the jet and safety instructions followed by a six-week rotation.

Each Air Force Specialty Code for aircraft maintenance is represented on the TOCV team. Warren handled guidance and control along with communication navigation systems. While LaRose is a fuels specialist and Gorsline specializes in sheet metal.

The team consists of maintenance personnel from Altus AFB, Oklahoma; McChord AFB, Washington; McConnell AFB, Kansas; and Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire.

Warren signaled that changes are on the horizon.

"The aircraft is new," said Warren. "It's going to be a paradigm shift and a lot of the old ways of thinking will be out."

He continued saying the air crews will benefit for the new changes in the KC-46.

"There are a lot of new technologies on this aircraft, the sheer size of the aircraft, the mission, everything is different," said Warren. "It's going to be great and I'm really looking forward to the integration and capabilities of the aircraft."

Warren, a native of Springfield, Massachusetts, served three years on active duty working on the KC-10 Extenders at Travis AFB, California prior to transitioning the 157th Air Refueling Wing in 2007.

Air Force officials announced Aug. 6, 2014 that 157th ARW would be the first Air National Guard led KC-46A main operating base. The unit was selected because of its highly successful active duty association, which would lead to lower active duty work force requirements. The base is also located in a region of high air refueling receiver demand was another key consideration.

"The way that we do business is going to change," said Warren. "Maintenance is going to be more integrated but all the shops are going to be working a lot closer than they have before."