The Marine Corps completed an “aviation first,” on April 8 by flying MV-22B Ospreys on the aircraft’s longest movement to date. Six Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 returned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit after a trek from Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, to Souda Bay, Greece, with the assistance of a pair of KC-130J Hercules from 2nd Marine aircraft wing (forward) who provided transport and aerial refuelling support.

“As far as aerial refuelling missions are concerned, this was a Marine Corps and Naval aviation first,” said Capt. Ben Grant, the executive officer for the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 detachment currently deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan. “Never before has an MV-22 movement been conducted this far or on this scale. On this mission, the MV-22s travelled in excess of over 4,500 km from Camp Bastion to Souda Bay, using aerial refuelling provided by KC-130Js. We transited three continents over land and water, three combatant commands’ areas of responsibility, and did it with no major issues.”

The mission was conducted to return VMM-266 Marines, cargo and aircraft to the USS Kearsarge and the 26th MEU, which had been tasked to the Mediterranean region in support of operations in Libya.