The fuel technicians of the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, have to dig the unit’s huge fuel storage bladders out of the snow—by hand. It takes 12 airmen about two hours per berm, and there are 10 berms, each extending about 10,000 square feet. Snow on the storage bladders causes problems, such as changing the pressure readings for the fuel, and if its melts, it can lock the bags in pools of ice potentially causing the bag to break and leak valuable fuel. The Manas fuel activity is vital to operations in Afghanistan, where KC-135 tankers dispense about 150,000 gallons of fuel every day.
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
