Air Force
A ‘Violent Storm’ of elephants: Stratotankers strut their stuff during MacDill AFB exercise
Stars and Stripes
April 26, 2023
Eighteen U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers assigned to the 6th and 927th Air Refueling Wings, and two U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks assigned to the 5th Battalion, 159th Regiment, participate in Operation Violent Storm at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., April 26, 2023. (Zachary Foster/U.S. Air Force)
The elephants went on parade Wednesday at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
The 6th Air Refueling Wing, in collaboration with the 927th ARW and the 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, conducted Operation Violent Storm, which consisted of an “elephant walk” featuring 18 KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. The exercise involved more than 700 personnel across MacDill and was completed in less than six hours, an Air Force news release said.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Grace Pritchard, 6th Maintenance Squadron crew chief, prepares a KC-135 Stratotanker for takeoff during Operation Violent Storm at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, April 26, 2023. (Lauren Cobin/U.S. Air Force)
Crew chiefs with the 6th Maintenance Group pose for a photo after completing Operation Violent Storm at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, April 26, 2023. The exercise consisted of an “elephant walk,” with 18 KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft mobilizing through the efforts of more than 700 personnel from across the installation. (Lauren Cobin/U.S. Air Force)
“What Operation Violent Storm showcases is our ability to, in rapid succession, provide airpower for America,” Col. Adam Bingham, 6th ARW commander, said in the release. “We are able to put booms in the air that fuel America’s strategic fighters and bombers who will ultimately be delivering hope and projecting violence at a time that America really needs it.”
An elephant walk involves large fleets of aircraft taxiing close together. The term was coined during World War II, when an airman described the scene as looking like “a herd of elephants marching to a watering hole,” according to the Air Force.
KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 6th and 927th Air Refueling Wings taxi in formation on the flight line April 26, 2023, at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. (Shannon Bowman/U.S. Air Force)
KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 6th and 927th Air Refueling Wings taxi in formation on the flight line April 26, 2023, at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. (Shannon Bowman/U.S. Air Force)
Eighteen U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers assigned to the 6th and 927th Air Refueling Wings, and two U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks assigned to the 5th Battalion, 159th Regiment, participate in Operation Violent Storm at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., April 26, 2023. (Luther Mitchell Jr./U.S. Air Force)