US deploys KC-135 for disaster response as major floods sweep the Philippines
The United States has deployed one of its KC-135 Stratotanker to the Philippines as multiple cyclones have hit the country, resulting in major flooding to the Luzon area.
The Boeing refueling tanker aircraft, carrying Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) equipment, is expected to arrive at Clark Air Base (CRK) in Pampanga, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said.
“We have information that a KC-135 aircraft from the US is bound for Clark Air Base, bringing in HADR equipment,” PAF Public Affairs Office (PAO) assistant chief Major Richard Calma told local news.
Calma added that, while the PAF does not have the exact date or time of the KC-135’s arrival, the aircraft is currently in Japan awaiting departure for the Philippines.
“What’s important is that support from the US is coming in,” Calma said.
Meanwhile, the PAF said that it also has 40 air assets on standby, including C-130 and C-295 medium transports and S-70i Black Hawks, at Basa Air Base (RPUF) in Floridablanca, Pampanga.
The KC-135 Stratotanker is a US military aerial refueling and strategic airlift aircraft. It has been in service with the US Air Force since 1957, and its ability to refuel mid-air has played a vital role in extending the range and endurance of other military aircraft. The KC-135 is also capable of transporting patients during aeromedical evacuations.
Almost 280,000 people were forced to evacuate across the northern Philippines when two tropical cyclones entered its area of responsibility. Thousands in Manila remain displaced, as floodwaters continue to submerge several neighborhoods.
With its location on the typhoon belt, as well as the Pacific Ring of Fire (making it vulnerable to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes), the Philippines remains one of the world’s disaster-prone countries, experiencing an annual average of over 20 typhoons.
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The post US deploys KC-135 for disaster response as major floods sweep the Philippines appeared first on AeroTime.
The United States has deployed one of its KC-135 Stratotanker to the Philippines as multiple cyclones have hit…
The post US deploys KC-135 for disaster response as major floods sweep the Philippines appeared first on AeroTime.
