PACIFIC OCEAN, Japan – The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, or AATC, demonstrated how warfighter-driven innovation rapidly transforms proven platforms into next-generation weapons systems during recent testing of advanced data systems aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker during Resolute Force Pacific 25 in the Indo-Pacific region, delivering critical Agile Combat Employment operations in contested environments.
Resolute Force Pacific 25, or REFORPAC 25, is part of the Department of the Air Force’s larger Department-Level Exercise. REFORPAC 25 tasked Pacific Air Forces to demonstrate its ability to rapidly disperse thousands of service members and equip across the region.
The exercise provides an optimal testing environment for AATC’s enhanced KC-135 systems, with realistic operational conditions and numerous participants who stress test the data networks under real-world scenarios.
Building on previous demonstrations, AATC evaluated the abilities of the Datalink Enhancement-Minimum Viable Product, or DE-MVP, to fuse data from three different line-of-sight Tactical Data Link networks and multiple Beyond Line of Sight connections with Advanced Intelligent Gateway technology aboard the KC-135, connecting joint and coalition mission partners in real time for distributed operations across contested environments.
The modernization effort supports Air National Guard Acting Director Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak’s priorities for innovation and legacy aircraft upgrades. AATC’s approach extends operational lifespans of existing platforms by rapidly fielding mature capabilities at reduced cost compared to new aircraft acquisition.
“The Department-Level Exercise provides the necessary scope, scale and complexity to evaluate enhanced KC-135 capabilities in a representative environment,” said Lt. Col. Spencer Liedl, AATC KC-135 Operational Test director.
The systems reduce traditional decision-making timelines from hours to minutes, expanding the passage of sensor-to-shooter data and expediting the long-range kill chain. While conventional intelligence cycles have historically required a 72-hour battle rhythm from collection to action, the KC-135 platform demonstrated the ability to reduce that cycle to minutes, enabling repositioning and mission execution in contested environments.
The Intelligent Gateway connects Beyond Line of Sight networks with operational and strategic level information to datalinks at the tactical edge, providing capability for distributed operations where traditional command structures may be limited.
“The air refueling enterprise is in a unique position to leverage theater-wide mass at any given moment to connect strategic information with the forward tactical edge, expediting sensor-to-shooter data passage and tightening a global kill web,” Liedl said.
Prior to modernization, KC-135 crews relied on outside sources for threat information. The enhanced systems now provide aircrews with real-time situational awareness through moving map displays while sharing that information via line-of-sight and Beyond Line of Sight with national, joint and coalition partners, enabling timely and independent tactical decisions in contested environments.
The rapid capability development demonstrates how maximizing investment in proven platforms delivers an 80% capability enhancement at a 20% cost reduction through smart modernization. Rather than waiting for lengthy acquisition programs, the test center developed solutions to meet operational requirements and validated them during comprehensive exercise operations.
The DE-MVP system operates as a Roll-On Roll-Off capability, enabling deployment across distributed operating locations for Agile Combat Employment concepts. This adaptability supports the scaling of modernization across multiple platforms.
The platform operates across the Indo-Pacific theater, where operations require resilient communications. Joint, allied and partner forces communicate through the KC-135 Intelligent Gateway to make tactical decisions with a common operating picture, supporting coalition operations.
“Just as tankers have been a catalyst of global reach by passing fuel to other aircraft, their pre-existing vast presence across every area of responsibility makes for ideal nodes to fuse and pass data - essential for any major operation across great distances,” Liedl said.
The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, established in 1981, serves as the Air Reserve Component’s primary test and evaluation center, operating across four geographically separated units and specializing in operational and developmental testing. AATC’s modernization approach provides enhanced capabilities for existing platforms, supporting Agile Combat Employment operations through connected battlespace capabilities validated during comprehensive exercises such as REFORPAC 25.