The MV-22B Osprey is getting topped-off with a new capability. An aerial refuelling system is being developed for the tilt-rotor aircraft, turning the cargo and personnel carrier into a tanker that can provide fuel to other aircraft, mid-flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The aerial refueling capability is going to be the next thing,” for the Osprey, <\/span>Maj. Douglas Thumm, the plans officer for the V-22 at Headquarters Marine Corps,<\/span> said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Osprey’s tanker system is in the early stages of development and won’t be ready until 2017, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When operational, the V-22 could refuel the Corps’ fleet of aircraft, including the new F-35B Lightning II. It could also rendezvous with ground vehicles, land, and fill them up, Thumm said. Many of the Corps’ ground vehicles can run on aviation fuel, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This new capability will extend the range of combat aircraft without having to turn to other services or allies for aerial refueling, the Corps said in its<\/span>according to the Corps’ 10-year aviation plan released this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This will make the air combat element more independent and flexible since it won’t have to rely on other services’ tankers, and because the Osprey doesn’t require a well-developed airstrip like fixed-wing aircraft, Thumm said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n