The U.S. Marine Corps performed its first-ever drone refuelling with a manned helicopter - a CH-53E Super Stallion refuelled an MQ-8C Fire Scout's fuel supply

The US Marine Corps conducted exercise Twentynine Palms in California. As part of the event, a manned helicopter refuelled an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Here's What We Know

On 31 July 2023, a US Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter shared nearly 320kg of fuel with an unmanned MQ-8C Fire Scout helicopter during an exercise in sunny California. The Super Stallion can afford to do this as it has a payload of 10,635kg.

A successful refuelling procedure means that the military will be able to extend the range of the drone if needed. Normally, an unmanned helicopter flies missions from a small ship without flying far from shore.

The exercise used an MQ-8C Fire Scout from the US Navy's Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21. It is important to note that both helicopters were on the ground rather than in the air during the refuelling exercise.

Source: Defence News