WASHINGTON - Metrea - formerly Meta Aerospace - have announced that its Metrea Stragegic Mobility (MSM) commercial KC-135R tanker has refueled a pair of U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. The Washington, D.C.-based company says that they have performed the first-ever commercial boom aerial refueling of any receiver by a commercial tanker aircraft. The two aircraft refuelings took place over four hours.
Metrea provides effects-as-a-service to national security partners in five domains and over a dozen mission-centric solution areas, including airborne ISR, electronic warfare, communications, space-based ISR, and advanced simulation.
MSM's aircraft are equipped with two wing-mounted Multi-Point Refueling System (MPRS) pods which facilitate refueling with probe equipped Navy, Marine Corps and partner nation aircraft. They are also equipped with an air refueling boom to refuel receptacle equipped receivers, such as Navy P-8's and US Air Force aircraft.
"This is a major milestone in the 100-year history of air-to-air refueling. A commercial tanker has never done this before," said Jon "Ty" Thomas, Head of Metrea's Air and Space Group. "Teamwork with the US Navy, NAVAIR, and the P-8 unit led to this success, which is a testament to the significant value commercial tankers present to augment national military tanker fleets. We look forward to making boom contacts with a USAF receiver and a foreign air force receiver. There is more history to be made here."
