Armed tankers about ready to deploy

[unhappycamper]

A KC-130J "Hercules" with Marine Aerial Refueling and Transportation Squadron 352 stands down after returning from an aerial refueling mission over southeastern California Jan. 14.


Armed tankers about ready to deploy
By Amy McCullough - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday May 8, 2010 15:30:25 EDT

The first Marine KC-130J tanker armed with Hellfire missiles and sophisticated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance gear should be ready to deploy this summer, officials said.

Known as Harvest Hawk, the upgraded KC-130J will undergo weapons tests in May at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., having wrapped up evaluations of its Target Sight System, or TSS, on April 10 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

The TSS has a wide field-of-view and forward-looking infrared multisensors that beam images to two computer monitors inside the aircraft, allowing operators to pinpoint long-range targets. The same sensor will be mounted on the new AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter, meaning Marines will be able to relay information across aviation platforms in battle, officials said.

“We just want to make sure the system is safe. We did everything that we could in phase one that didn’t have to do with the weapons range,” said Doug Dawson, principal deputy program manager for the tactical airlift adversary and support programs at Naval Air Systems Command.

The China Lake tests are expected to last about three weeks, during which officials will fire the tanker’s Hellfire missiles at stationary targets, such as old tanks and trucks, Dawson said.


unhappycamper comment: I'll bet the bucks (to the M-I-C) are coming from the Target Sight System used to aim these puppies.

[ManiacJoe]

1. Someone needs to do some explaining.

The Hellfire missile is a short range air-to-ground missile. Putting these on a tanker is an attempt to convert the tanker into a close-air support plane??? Sounds pretty stupid since tankers are kept will outside the combat zone since they are large and slow and very explosive.

[alfredo]

2. Not sure it will be used as a tanker, maybe something like the Spector gunship.

[The Magistrate]

3. This Is Just For 'Loiter' Over Afghanistan, Sir

The Marines want in on the 'strike from the sky' action....