KC-135 aircraft taxi on ramp — 171st Photos

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230706-Z-NQ177-1002

Megan Hirlehey wanted to be a pilot ever since she came to the base for family day as a kid with her dad, Kevin Clancy, a Master Sgt. in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. In 2008, right before graduating high school, Megan enlisted in her dads unit, the 171st Air Refueling Wing. She served in the base’s Education and Training office and also the base’s Small Air Terminal, while her dad served in the Maintenance Group. She followed her dream to be a pilot and commissioned in 2020. On July 6, 2023, 1st Lt. Megan Hirlehey flew her first mission with the 171st - aboard the very aircraft her dad serves as Crew Chief. Kevin marshaled his daughter off the flight line and saluted her as she steered the KC-135 aircraft towards the runway for take off. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo)

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Lithuanian Air Force Commander Visits 171st Air Refueling Wing

Master Sgt. Kyle McCormick, middle, boom operator assigned to the 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, shows Col. Antanas Matutis, right, commander of the Lithuanian Air Force, what an aerial refueling mission looks like from the refueling pod of a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft March 22, 2023, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania National Guard and Lithuania have partnered through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program since 1993. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Zoe M. Wockenfuss)

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221025-Z-NQ177-3012

A KC-135 aircraft takes off from the 171st Air Refueling Wing, an Air National Guard unit near Pittsburgh Pa., Oct. 25, 2022. The aircraft was supporting Operation Nobel Defender, a long-planned NORAD exercise that validates the command’s capability to defend Canada and the United States from every avenue of approach. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Shawn Monk)

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221027-Z-WF052-1164

Under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), U.S. Air Force Maj. Scott McGowen, a 104th Fighter Wing F-15 pilot, prepares to take-off from Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, during air-defense Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, Oct. 27, 2022. Operation NOBLE DEFENDER is a long-planned NORAD exercise that validates the command’s capability to defend Canada and the United States from every avenue of approach. The Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) led this iteration of OND and coordinated and conducted combined operations, while concurrently launching aircraft from different locations across the northeast coast of the United States. F-15 and KC-135 aircraft from CONR and CF-18 aircraft from the Canadian NORAD Region participated in the operation. NORAD is a bi-national Canadian and U.S. command that employs a network of aerial, ground-based, and space-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers, and fighter aircraft controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to deter, detect and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace. (U.S. Air National Guard Photos by Randall Burlingame)

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221027-Z-WF052-1005

Under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), an F-15C Eagle takes-off from Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, during air-defense Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, Oct. 27, 2022. Operation NOBLE DEFENDER is a long-planned NORAD exercise that validates the command’s capability to defend Canada and the United States from every avenue of approach. The Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) led this iteration of OND and coordinated and conducted combined operations, while concurrently launching aircraft from different locations across the northeast coast of the United States. F-15 and KC-135 aircraft from CONR and CF-18 aircraft from the Canadian NORAD Region participated in the operation. NORAD is a bi-national Canadian and U.S. command that employs a network of aerial, ground-based, and space-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers, and fighter aircraft controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to deter, detect and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace. (U.S. Air National Guard Photos by Randall Burlingame)

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221027-Z-EY983-1399

Under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), F-15s assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard, CF-18s assigned to the Royal Canadian Air Force, and a KC-135 assigned to the Main Air National Guard fly in formation behind a KC-135 assigned to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard during air-defense Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, Oct. 27, 2022. Operation NOBLE DEFENDER is a long-planned NORAD exercise that validates the command’s capability to defend Canada and the United States from every avenue of approach. The Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) led this iteration of OND and coordinated and conducted combined operations, while concurrently launching aircraft from different locations across the northeast coast of the United States. F-15 and KC-135 aircraft from CONR and CF-18 aircraft from the Canadian NORAD Region participated in the operation. NORAD is a bi-national Canadian and U.S. command that employs a network of aerial, ground-based, and space-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers, and fighter aircraft controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to deter, detect and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace. (U.S. Air National Guard Photos by Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hoover)

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221027-Z-EY983-1249

Under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), an F-15 assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard flies behind a KC-135 assigned to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard during air-defense Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, Oct. 27, 2022. Operation NOBLE DEFENDER is a long-planned NORAD exercise that validates the command’s capability to defend Canada and the United States from every avenue of approach. The Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) led this iteration of OND and coordinated and conducted combined operations, while concurrently launching aircraft from different locations across the northeast coast of the United States. F-15 and KC-135 aircraft from CONR and CF-18 aircraft from the Canadian NORAD Region participated in the operation. NORAD is a bi-national Canadian and U.S. command that employs a network of aerial, ground-based, and space-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers, and fighter aircraft controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to deter, detect and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace. (U.S. Air National Guard Photos by Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hoover)

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221027-Z-EY983-1187

Under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), two F-15s assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard and two CF-18 assigned to the Royal Canadian Air Force fly in formation behind a KC-135 assigned to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard during air-defense Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, Oct. 27, 2022. Operation NOBLE DEFENDER is a long-planned NORAD exercise that validates the command’s capability to defend Canada and the United States from every avenue of approach. The Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) led this iteration of OND and coordinated and conducted combined operations, while concurrently launching aircraft from different locations across the northeast coast of the United States. F-15 and KC-135 aircraft from CONR and CF-18 aircraft from the Canadian NORAD Region participated in the operation. NORAD is a bi-national Canadian and U.S. command that employs a network of aerial, ground-based, and space-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers, and fighter aircraft controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to deter, detect and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace. (U.S. Air National Guard Photos by Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hoover)

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221027-Z-EY983-1138

Under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), an F-15 assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard conducts air-to-air refueling from a KC-135 assigned to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard during air-defense Operation NOBLE DEFENDER, Oct. 27, 2022. Operation NOBLE DEFENDER is a long-planned NORAD exercise that validates the command’s capability to defend Canada and the United States from every avenue of approach. The Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) led this iteration of OND and coordinated and conducted combined operations, while concurrently launching aircraft from different locations across the northeast coast of the United States. F-15 and KC-135 aircraft from CONR and CF-18 aircraft from the Canadian NORAD Region participated in the operation. NORAD is a bi-national Canadian and U.S. command that employs a network of aerial, ground-based, and space-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers, and fighter aircraft controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to deter, detect and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace. (U.S. Air National Guard Photos by Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hoover)

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Col Troy Wing

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221013-Z-F3925-1001

An aerial view of the Innovative Readiness Training construction site in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, June 2022. Construction is being completed for the IRT Cherokee Veterans Housing Initiative, which is a multi-year project that allows Guardsmen and Reservists from the Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force to build homes each year for Cherokee Veterans. (Courtesy Photo)

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220826-Z-EY983-1065

Guardsmen assigned to the 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pennsylvania Air National Guard proceed through a personnel deployment line during a Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection August 26, 2022 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The NORI is a routine exercise used to evaluate a units capability to perform as a nuclear support unit. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hoover)

171st Photos

230706-Z-NQ177-1002

Lithuanian Air Force Commander Visits 171st Air Refueling Wing

221025-Z-NQ177-3012

221027-Z-WF052-1164

221027-Z-WF052-1005

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Col Troy Wing

221013-Z-F3925-1001

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