Miramar-based Marines with Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 successfully refueled two of the service’s new F-35B Lightning II jets during a training mission over Southern California.
Sgt. Christopher Coxe, a crew master with the squadron, said a KC-130J Super Hercules dispensed fuel to the two receiving aircraft. The refueling maneuver was tested several times during the mission.
“The ability to refuel in flight is critical for the supportability and the sustainability of the F-35B during real-world operations,” said Capt. Jimmy Braudt, a pilot with Fighter Attack Squadron 121 in Yuma, AZ. “It is a force multiplier that allows us to project the fight to the enemy.”
The Yuma-based squadron is the first to fly the new jets, which will replace the 1960s-era AV-8B Harriers on the Navy’s amphibious assault ships.
The Lockheed Martin supersonic stealth jets are being built in different versions for the Air Force, Navy and Marines in the largest defense program in history.
