US Air Force aircraft join RAF fighter jets over the North Sea as the allies launch Operation Point Blank with 35 planes from 10 units
- Among the aircraft taking part in Operation Point Blank were two USAF CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors
- The CV-22 are used by special forces to drop heavily armed troops into battle or rescue downed pilots
- As part of yesterday’s mission over the North Sea, the two CV-22s refueled from a MC-130J tanker
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American military aircraft have joined UK fighter jets in a training exercise over the North Sea.
The recurring Point Blank exercise, which on Thursday included 35 aircraft from 10 units, aims to hone how allies will fight in real world operations.
Among those taking part were a United States Air Force (USAF) CV-22 Osprey, which can take off and land like a helicopter but has aeroplane-style wings.
The tiltrotor aircraft, which can carry up to 32 troops and has a machine gun on its ramp, was refuelled over the North Sea from an MC-130J Commando II.
This pair of United States Air Force CV-22 Ospreys from the 352nd Special Operations Wing based at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk took part yesterday in Operation Point Black with the RAF over the North Sea
The CV-22 Osprey, pictured here as it refuels from the MC-130J Commando II, takes off and lands like a regular helicopter, but it is able to tilt its rotors forward and fly like a fixed wing aircraft. This allows the CV-22 to travel faster and for further than a normal helicopter
The MC-130J refueled during the operation from a KC-135 Stratotanker as part of the training exercise
The cargo plane, based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, flies clandestine or low-visibility refuelling missions for special operations helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft, and can bring troops and supplies in and out of warzones.
During the exercise it was in turn refuelled from a KC-135 Stratotanker refueller plane.
The US aircraft were joined by UK Typhoon fighter jets from RAF airbases at Coningsby in Lincolnshire and Lossiemouth in Scotland, which also took part in the exercise.
Speaking at a previous iteration of Point Blank last year, RAF Air Commodore Jez Attridge said he could see the ‘challenge that Russia is giving to the international rules-based order’, adding ‘we are the insurance policy’.
As well as being able to refuel other aircraft during a mission, the MC-130J is able to carry cargo or troops inside its passing hull. The troops or cargo can parachute out of the rear door which can open mid-flight
The CV-22 is powered by a pair of Rolls Royce Allison AE1107C engines and can carry up to 24 heavily-armed troops
The loadmaster looks out over the Suffolk countryside as the MC-130J takes part in Operation Point Blank
The US Air Force photographer sits at the edge of the loading ramp on the MC-130J as the CV-22 approaches to refuel
The MC-130J’s pilots have ‘head up displays’ allowing them to monitor the aircraft’s instruments while keeping watch out of the cockpit
The USAF and RAF conduct regular training missions so they can operate efficiently in the event of a crisis
The Crew of the MC-130J checked their aircraft after returning safely from Operation Point Blank to RAF Mildenhall