Some Like it in the Truck, On the Line Cold

Airmen at Luke AFB, Ariz., home to future F-35A strike fighter training, are testing a fuel truck with a white-painted, reflective tank scheme to reduce solar heating and keep fuel temperatures within the F-35’s tolerated heat range. The F-35 “may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high, so after collaborating with other bases and receiving waiver approval from [Air Education and Training Command], we painted the tanks white,” said SrA. Jacob Hartman, a fueler with the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, in Luke’s Dec. 5 release. “This is the short-term goal. … The long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers,” added CMSgt. Ralph Resch, 56th LRS fuels manager. Luke airmen are also testing tankers painted in the traditional green color, simply coated with a solar reflective coating to better camouflage combat-deployed vehicles. “We will then compare temperatures between the green and white trucks” to gauge whether the reflective coating provides equal cooling, said MSgt. Joseph Maurin, 56th LRS fuel distribution noncommissioned officer in charge.