In Operation Restore Hope II, C-5 and C-141 aircraft transport 1,300 troops, 18 M-1 Abrams tanks, and 44 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles from the US to Somalia in nine days. Some flights went nonstop in 18 hours with four aerial refuelings.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.