Believe it or not, the concept of aerial refueling is more than a century old. The first successful maneuver of this type dates back to 1923, and since then it has been perfected at multiple levels. In fact, it is also compatible with helicopters, but what we are going to see today is certainly unusual: A Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion receiving fuel from a Lockheed Martin KC-130T at the same time it carries the structure of an F-35C Lightning II.
Official information tells us that a USMC Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion helicopter was used to transport the structure of an F-35C prototype (carrier variant) identified as CF-1, from the "F-35 Integrated Test Force" at Patuxent River to the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst base in New Jersey, for subsequent delivery to NAWCAD (Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division), with the aim of evaluating emergency recovery systems.
(Ed. note: For heaven's sake, volume warning and headphones. I'm not kidding.)
CH-53K + F-35C + KC-130T: Aerial Refueling at 'God Level'
Now, the key word is 'structure.' That F-35C does not have its propulsion system (among other things), but it still weighs almost ten tons, including the equipment needed for its transport. It is not the first time a CH-53K has moved an F-35 this way, and the first certification was carried out in December 2022. The helicopter is authorized for 27,000 pounds (12,246 kilograms), and it is estimated it could reach 36,000 pounds (16,329 kilograms), but what caught the most attention on the Web recently was its aerial refueling... with the F-35 attached.
Obviously, no one questions the professionalism and skill of the pilots involved in this maneuver (on the contrary, it is impressive from every angle), but the situation seems straight out of a cartoon or a video game. The F-35 is not a small aircraft: it measures 15.7 meters in length, while its wingspan ranges between 10.7 and 13.1 meters (depending on the variant), however, this heavy lifter moves it as if it were made of paper.
Source: The War Zone
