Employer flight

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Employers of Grissom Airmen pose for a group photo before their flight aboard a KC-135R Stratotanker here Sept. 5. The purpose of the flight was to give the employers a better understanding of the mission of the 434th Air Refueling Wing and to show appreciation for their support. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Andrew McLaughlin)

F-22 refueling

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska. -- An F-22 Raptor from the 90th Fighter Squadron is refueld by a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. The F-22 is the United States Air Force's newest fighter aircraft and performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Chief Master Sgt. Jeff Maier)

Group

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Grissom honorary commanders and local civic leaders pose after their flight aboard a KC-135R Stratotanker with the 434th Air Refueling Wing June 20. The honorary commanders and civic leaders visited the base and flew during an in-flight refueling to learn about the mission of the 434th ARW. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Andrew McLaughlin)

Refueling

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- A Navy E-6B Mercury from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., pulls away from a KC-135R Stratotanker with the 434th Air Refueling Wing after completing an aerial refueling June 20. Grissom honorary commanders and local civic leaders flew aboard the KC-135R to learn about the mission of the 434th ARW. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Andrew McLaughlin)

Buff approach

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- A B-52 Stratofortress from the 93rd Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., approaches the boom of a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 434th Air Refueling Wing during a refueling mission Sept. 14. The refueling mission gave crew from both aircraft training and experience in aerial refueling, which keeps them ready for any mission around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jami K. Lancette)

Refueling a shadow

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- A U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury refuels from a 434th Air Refueling Wing KC-135R Stratotanker during a refueling mission May 5. The E-6, which used the call sign Shadow 20, is a ccommunications relay and strategic airborne command post aircraft. Two squadrons, the "Ironmen" of VQ-3 and the "Shadows" of VQ-4 deploy more than 20 aircrews from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. Onboard the KC-135 were Indiana media representatives who got a firsthand look at the aerial refueling mission of the 434th ARW. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner)