Overview
- Chile’s air force refueled two U.S. F-35A jets in flight during their transit to Santiago for the FIDAE 2026 air show, completing the first Chilean tanker support of the stealth fighters.
- The mission shifted from a U.S. KC-135R to a Chilean KC-135 near the Peru–Ecuador border, where the Chilean crew delivered about 41,000 pounds of fuel and topped off each jet four times.
- U.S. Air Forces Southern confirmed the operation as a step forward for interoperability, and an F-35A pilot said the Chilean team exceeded expectations after a short-notice plan using shared NATO procedures.
- Chilean President José Antonio Kast praised the refueling during FIDAE, and officials said the teams plan to keep working together on the return flight to build on the success.
- The flight validated that long-serving KC-135 tankers can support fifth‑generation fighters like the F-35A, a capability that lets partners swap tankers to extend range and sustain regional presence at Latin America’s largest air show.