Try Pumping 3 Mil a Month

Aug. 15, 2006

Fuels airmen at Balad AB, Iraq, pump about 12 million gallons of aviation fuel every four months. The airmen of the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron accomplish this stupendous task using a fleet of 13 aging fuel trucks, each carrying about 6,000 gallons. It’s a 24-hour operation. The airmen load the fuel trucks primarily from fuel bladders the US Air Force installed—a process that takes about 45 minutes per truck. To help speed this process, the airmen have activated two of the airfield’s nine original fuel bunkers, which can transfer fuel to the trucks in about 10 minutes per load.

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