When operating independently, one function the Air Combat Element (ACE) component that supplies aviation capabilities within a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) lacks is the organic ability to refuel its aircraft in the air. This doesn’t make the unique melding of air, sea, and land power found in Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESG), which combine MEUs with Navy Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), irrelevant, but it certainly limits their reach and flexibility.
MV-22 Ospreys equipped with modular aerial refueling kits were viewed not long ago as a relatively cheap force-multiplying solution to this problem, but now that is no longer the case. This is a tough reality to reconcile, especially in the context of a potential looming Pacific fight, where every bit of range could mean the difference between relevance and irrelevance, and in some cases, life and death, for Marine tactical airpower and the vessels and remote airstrips it will operate from.
TWZ asked Marine Col. Robert Hurst, head of the V-22 Joint Program Office, which sits within the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), about the status of its previously tested and once much-touted aerial refueling payload for the Osprey at the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington, D.C., yesterday. Hurst replied, in part:
“It’s not a capability that the fleet is currently training to is the way I would offer that. I don’t think that, since the fleet’s not currently training to it, I don’t know that anybody’s thinking about a timeline.”
He added that we should reach out to the Marine Corps’ Combat Development and Integration office for more info, which we have done. We also talked to a spokesperson from NAVAIR about the status of this capability, who stated: “The program office has no requirement at this time for that effort.”
So, suffice it to say, clearly this is not a capability that is being rushed to the fleet, especially considering it is now well over a decade after it was first successfully demonstrated in flight.
The prototype of the V-22 Aerial Refueling System (VARS) was first tested in 2013, with its cabin-mounted drogue and hose unit successfully being deployed with F/A-18 Hornets in tow. The capability was supposed to be ready for operational use by 2017 and it was seen as critical to giving Marine aircraft, including other MV-22s, as well as AV-8Bs and F-35B/Cs, and even CH-53s, extended range, especially when operating from amphibious assault ships and remote locales, such as island airstrips.
I detailed how important this capability could be, especially for the F-35B, back in 2014. Still, even as the prospect of a large war across the vast Pacific grew, and all the range concerns with tactical aircraft that go along with it, VARS never came to fruition. Now it looks like it is not a priority at all, which is very puzzling.
The internal fuel of an MV-22 is listed as 1,721 gallons/11,700 pounds by Bell. The VARS concept appears to also include up to two 430-gallon auxiliary tanks mounted inside the cabin capable of holding another 5,590 pounds of fuel, for a total of 17,290 pounds. This is a lot of fuel that the V-22 could pass as a launch tanker – topping off F-35Bs after their gas-guzzling departure and climb out from the ship – and as a recovery tanker – offering gas to aircraft low on fuel before landing, especially during emergencies or when boarding the ship is an issue.
Because of the MV-22’s relatively long range, it would be able to pass valuable fuel in significant quantities to aircraft – including other Ospreys – even hundreds of miles from the ship. This would be very advantageous for keeping aircraft on station longer for fleet defense or surveillance duties, as well as extending the air wing’s maximum reach. It was officially stated that a single MV-22 could pass as much as 10,000 pounds of gas on a single sortie with VARS, although exactly how far away from a ship or base such a transfer would occur is not clear. Considering 7,292 pounds are not included, we are likely talking about hundreds of miles here. It’s also worth noting that the total fuel load of a V-22 equipped with VARS is likely very close to that found on the MQ-25 Stingray tanker the Navy is ordering for its air wings. You can read all about the MQ-25’s range and potential in this recent feature of ours.
The V-22’s ability to take off and land vertically also means it can grab fuel from smaller ships positioned along the route where tactical airpower will be transiting. In other words, the MV-22 could be stationed on or fly out to a ship located hundreds of miles from where a Marine tactical airpower sortie will originate. They can meet those aircraft in the air as they approach, refuel them, and the MV-22 can land back on the ship, refuel, and do the same on their return trip. No other aircraft can accomplish such a task, opening up major tactical possibilities and making Marine airpower far less predictable in the process.
While VARS may have been seen as a nice thing to have in the early 2010s, today, with China’s ever increasing size and capability anti-access/area denial bubble emanating from its shores, this capability could be critical to the lethality and relevance of the ACE, as well as the survivability of the ships it operates from. A similar case was made for the MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone aboard America’s supercarriers, which is a far more expensive, albeit more capable, proposition than giving existing MV-22s tanker capabilities.
We also are living in a time when the air wings on amphibious assault ships are growing in sophistication and prominence, and some of these vessels — variants of the America class LHAs — are constructed to be optimized heavily around airpower projection. We have also seen the advent and deployment of the ‘Lightning Carrier’ concept, where F-35Bs embark in far greater numbers aboard ‘Gator Navy’ flattops. This concept would make even greater use of an Osprey tanker capability, and it would unlock the tactical fast jet-focused Marine air wing’s potential.
The Marines’ Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept, where Marine tactical airpower will hop from remote locale to remote locale (likely island to island) close to or within contested territory, could benefit from VARS-equipped MV-22s nearly as much as Marine airpower deployed aboard ships.
Why VARS remains in purgatory is not clear. Marine KC-130J tankers are limited in number, and persistently supporting tanking for Marine airpower executing operations far out to sea would be problematic, especially considering how taxed they would be with providing logistical airlift during a major conflict. The idea that every element will fight as a joint force, even across the vast Pacific, where USAF or Navy tanking will be available, could be one part of why VARS has not entered service, as well, but that would be a highly dubious excuse.
We reached out to other parties that may have more information on the status of VARS, or the lack thereof. We will report back when we hear more.
Howard Altman contributed to this report
Contact the author: Tyler@TWZ.com