1 - The Black Vault

installed in the Talon IIs cargo compartment, and the aircraft’s communication and naviga -
tion systems will be upgraded.
The most significant improvement scheduled for Combat Talon II is the installation
of an aerial refueling system capable of refueling both helicopter and tilt-rotor aircraft.
The refueling system installed on the Combat Talon I utilizes a refueling pod designed in
the late 1950s that requires aircraft electrical power, hydraulics, and aircraft fuel pumps
for proper operation. Although maintenance on the older pods is not complex, meantime
between failures is low, thus requiring excessive maintenance actions to keep the pods
operational. Fuel output rate is also dependent on fuel pressure generated by the aircraft’s
dump pumps. To overcome the shortfalls of the Talon I pods, AFSOC began testing the MK
32B-902E pod on a Hurlburt-based Talon II aircraft in 1999. The new pod has a “ram air
turbine” that powers an internal fuel pump, thus eliminating the need to use the aircraft’s
dump pumps. Also, the pod has a DC motor that operates the hose-reel assembly. The hose
is retrieved by use of a hose-reel tensator spring, thus eliminating the need for aircraft
hydraulic pressure. The new pod will be capable of supporting all refueling operations from
105 knots to over 180 knots without having to land and change drogues. Because of its
augmenting fuel pump, the pod will be capable of simultaneously passing over 150 gallons
per minute of fuel to two receivers. The increased off-load rate will significantly reduce the
time a receiver aircraft has to spend “on the hose” refueling. The programmed completion
date for the modification is 2007 for the Talon II fleet.
At its current utilization rate, the Combat Talon I will require a service life extension
program (SLEP) to be initiated by 2007. At the present time, SLEP is not funded for
Combat Talon I, which will mean that the older Talons will reach the end of their service
life by 2015. With the SLEP, the aircraft will remain serviceable through 2025.
The CV-22
To augment the current Talon fleet, AFSOC has developed two initiatives that will provide
flexibility and improved delivery capability. The first initiative is the CV-22. It is currently
undergoing testing by a joint AFSOC/Marine Corps team, with the first four CV-22s scheduled
for delivery to Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, in 2003. The revolutionary tilt-rotor aircraft will
provide fixed-wing en route speed with the landing capability of a rotary-wing aircraft. It
fulfills a long-standing USSOCOM requirement to be able to accomplish a long-range infiltration/exfiltration
mission during one period of darkness. The extended range of the CV-22 (as
compared to conventional rotary-wing aircraft) reduces its dependency on penetrating tankers.
Its design also improves its survivability and reduces maintenance downtime. An added benefit
is that the aircraft is self-deployable—it will fly to the fight instead of relying on sca rce
airlift for transport as does the current rotary-wing fleet.
The CV-22 has a terrain-following/terrain-avoidance radar capability similar to the
Combat Talon. It also has an ECM suite that will protect it from enemy threats in hostile
areas. Approximately 90 percent of the CV-22’s airframe and equipment is common to the
Marine Corps’s MV-22, thus reducing the costs of future maintenance and improving the
availability of parts. The CV-22’s performance is similar to the Combat Talon, with en
route speeds of 230 knots and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. It can carry 25,000 pounds of
cargo, compared to 51,000 for the Combat Talon, with an unrefueled combat radius of 500
miles compared to the Combat Talon’s 1,000 miles. Current planning does not have the
CV-22 replacing any Talons, but rather it replaces the current AFSOC rotary-wing fleet
(the MH-53 Pave Low and the MH-60 Pave Hawk). A total of 50 tilt-rotor aircraft have
been funded, with the last four being delivered in 2009.
The MC-X
The twenty-first century provides many challenges for special operations aircraft, foremost
among them is the growing threat by hostile forces. By 2015 most of the world’s
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