First aerial refueling exercise of the Uruguayan Air Force with its own means

Between June 27 and 30, the combined exercise “Tank 2022” was carried out, in which a KC-130H Hercules refueled an A-37B Draglonfly, both from the Uruguayan Air Force, in flight.

The Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) reported that the Tank 2022 exercise was carried out at the facilities of the II Air Brigade (Durazno) and over the airspace of the center of the country.

The exercise consisted of the qualification in flight refueling operations of the crews of the KC-130H “Hercules” systems of the Air Squadron No. 3 (Transport); and A-37B “Dragonfly” of the No. 2 Air Squadron (Fighter).

The KC-130H “Hercules” aircraft of the Uruguayan Air Force were received from the Spanish Air Force (now the Air and Space Army) in December 2020, and are characterized by their all-metal construction, their large size and autonomy. . For its part, the Cessna A-37B “Dragonfly” aircraft of the Uruguayan Air Force carry out territorial patrolling missions and training in air defense maneuvers.

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See also: Uruguay purchase 2 KC-130H Hercules to Spain

The aforementioned certification complies with the operational requirements established in the NATO manual ATP-56C, and was achieved thanks to the instruction and supervision of personnel from the Argentine Air Force, members of the A-4AR systems belonging to the 5th Fighter Group; and KC-130 of Air Transport Group 1.

In this way, Uruguay achieves the capacity to extend the range and autonomy time of the A-37B aircraft. Due to their benefits, they are, to date, the first line of defense and fulfill their main mission of protection and control of the Uruguayan Air Space, under the tactical control of the Air Operations Center.

Likewise, the ability to refuel other fixed or rotary wing aircraft at an international level was acquired, such as, for example, those that are requested through the American Air Forces Cooperation System in different missions, such as humanitarian and search and rescue. .

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