By GAZETTE STAFF
WESTFIELD – The 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base will be conducting F-15 aircraft training that will cause an increase in noise in the area Tuesday through Thursday.
The hot pit refueling training allows aircrafts to rapidly launch after refueling. The exercise allows the aircraft to be refueled while the engines are running and thrusts the aircraft back into the fight, according to a statement from the base.
“The training equips fuel technicians, crew chiefs, and pilots with the necessary preparations for war time taskings along with other various time-sensitive missions required to defend our nation,” Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey wrote in the statement.
“In order to increase the safety and efficiency on a limited number of sorties, 104th Fighter Wing aircraft may occasionally takeoff opposite to standard noise abatement procedures,” Avey wrote.
The F-15 can hold close to 23,000 pounds or 1,600 gallons of fuel in its tank, and the hot pit refueling gets an aircraft refueled in as few as 5 minutes with the whole process complete within 15 minutes, according to the base.