The United States Air Force (USAF) Boeing B-52H Stratofortress 61-0020 with the 20th Bomb Squadron (BS) of the 2nd Operations Group (OG) based at Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB) and named The Big Stick hosted a USAF combat cameraman who captured some straight awesome footage of BUFFs refueling from both USAF KC-135R and Armée de l’air (French Air Force) C-135FR tankers. The video was shot by Senior Airman James Merriman of the First Combat Camera Squadron and uploaded to the Defense Media Network YouTube Channel.
The American Boeing KC-135R was from the 351st Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) of the 100th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) Bloody 100th based in the United Kingdom. The 100th ARW traces its lineage back to the 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy) who flew B-17s out of RAF Thorpe Abbotts during World War II. The French tanker is assigned to Groupe de Ravitaillement en Vol 2/91 “Bretagne” based at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base near Marseille. The second BUFF in the video is B-52H 60-0021 assigned to the 96th BS of the 2nd OG and also based at Barksdale. The BUFFs were flying out of RAF Fairford in support of Bomber Assurance and Deterrence Operations (BAAD).
