2023 Thunder Over New Hampshire

Pease Air National Guard Base hosted the bi-annual Thunder Over New Hampshire Airshow on September 9-10. The base is home to the 157th Air Refueling Wing, operating the KC-46 Pegasus. The show included a diverse lineup of military aircraft, A-list civilian performers and warbirds. Sadly, the weather was less than ideal for aerial displays. Saturday, the show was able to get a full display, but Sunday (the day I visited) was cut short due to low ceilings and heavy rain.

Refuelers, the Backbone of US Air Power

Two refueling aircraft were put up simultaneously to demonstrate the air-to-air refueling capabilities of the US Air Force and National Guard. The KC-46 Pegasus, the nation’s newest refueling aircraft, was the highlight. The Pegasus is based at Pease and the 157th ARW was the first in the nation to operate the type.

The second aircraft put up was the legendary KC-135 Stratotanker. The type has been the staple of aerial refueling for the United States since the 1960s, with no end in sight. Improvements to the engines have made it more efficient and increased the capabilities over the years.

Rob Holland

New Hampshire native, Rob Holland, performed in his MXS aircraft. Rob is likely the most accomplished and sought after airshow pilots today. Rob is a US and World Champion aerobatics pilot and performs internationally. His aircraft is equally impressive, with numerous modifications specific to his aircraft. His performance had to be cut short due to the rapid cloud coverage.

Mustang Aerobatics

Lou Horschel performed a brief aerobatic display in his P-51 Mustang “Mad Max”. Like Rob Holland, the routine was cut short due to the rapidly changing weather. Lou did give several nice photo passes though and made the best of his time.

Warbird Thunder Aerobatic Team

Chris Thomas and Mike Eberhardt performed a brief routine in the SNJ (T-6) Texans. Both are former members of the Geico Skytypers and now perform a two-ship formation aerobatic demonstration. The team is new but their skillset is second to none, and really put on a great routine the SNJs.

Around the field…

The show was able to get a very good static display, and had a large vendor and STEM education presence as well.

A long distance visitor. This is a KC-30A from the Royal Australian Air Force. This is Australia’s large aerial refueling asset and transport aircraft. All of them are part of No. 33 Squadron based at RAAF Base Amberley.

USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team

The Viper Demo Team was the show’s headliner, but the low ceilings and rain prevented the team from going up. Demo pilot, Capt. Aimee Fiedler, and the rest of her team walked the show line signing autographs and gave out stickers. I had the opportunity to meet her and scheduled an interview, but we did not get to finalize the interview.

Vermont ANG F-35 Lightning II

Another weather grounded performer included flybys from the “Green Mountain Boys” in the F-35.

LC-130 Skibird

A unique visitor included the ski-equipped variant of the C-130 called a Skibird. These aircraft belong to the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing. The unit is based at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, NY. The unit has 10 LC-130s and is the only unit to operate the type. The Unit’s mission supports operations on both polar ice caps, including transport, aeromedical transport, and field hospital.