Victory Aviation launches "Air Refueling On Demand" system

Victory's Air Refueling On Demand system in action.

Refueling in mid-air offers tremendous value and competitive advantages and has been proven by air forces worldwide for 50+ years. But why don’t civilian helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft also benefit from air refueling?

The answer is simple—only governments can justify the huge price tags for the large tanker/transport aircraft required to carry and deliver the fuel airborne. And only the most well-funded air forces can afford these aircraft, so the majority of global helicopters lack air refueling capability.

Now, Victory Special Missions has decisively shifted this paradigm. Based in Texas, Victory recently achieved a flight-test milestone with its KC-1000 “Doerbird” air refueler, a heavy crop duster modified with a new air refueling pod and converted into a flying gas station, with a thousand gallons or more.

The Doerbird flew in close formation with a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, deploying and retracting a military-standard refueling drogue multiple times at low altitude. This flight test demonstrated this new refueling system’s ability to expand the reach and impact of helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and even drones—with more range, endurance, safety margin, and mission options.

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In less than a year, Victory’s team overcame considerable challenges in aircraft systems integration (especially hydraulics), design limitations (size and structural layout), and dissimilar aerodynamics (big taildragger in formation with a helicopter). With the credibility established by this flight test, Victory is now offering this system to military and commercial operators with the motto “Air Refueling On Demand.”

The KC-1000’s rugged airframe, proven refueling equipment, and low overall costs of operation create an entirely new market in which air refueling can be as available and affordable as other valuable “On Demand” services. Plus, Victory offers turnkey flight services on a contract basis, enabling public agencies and private companies to rapidly gain the benefits of air refueling, without lengthy and expensive equipment acquisition programs.

Victory’s founders are former US Marine Corps officers and F/A-18 Hornet pilots, with an strong desire to serve the global Allied military family by deploying their new system to make the benefits of air refueling even more common for these operators. And they are driven to expand Air Refueling On Demand to civilian companies/organizations as well, now that it is financially attainable for firefighting, search and rescue, critical cargo deliveries, energy exploration, and disaster/humanitarian response.

Victory’s enterprise team is the key to the uncommon value created by this new system. Their overall business strategy comes from maverick USAF thinker Colonel John Boyd: “People, ideas, hardware—in that order!” Victory cultivates their team with this mindset, and the quality of their teammates reflects it. Thrush Aircraft builds the baseline KC-1000 airframe, customized from their successful series of agricultural and firefighting aircraft. Veteran air refueling engineering company Northstar provides their military-proven pod components, from designs already in service with US and Allied air forces. IOMAX integrates the Northstar refueling system into the Thrush aircraft, along with several militarization options already matured in their combat-tested “Archangel” aircraft. Industry leader Kawak Aviation provides the hydraulic system, and XP Services conducts the flight test program, leveraging their Special Ops experience and military test pilot training.

The Victory team is also aggressively pursuing the conversion of their heavy turboprop into an Optionally Piloted Aircraft, or OPA, capable of being controlled by an onboard pilot, remote operator, or even fully autonomously. Victory’s OPA will integrate with military and civilian unmanned aircraft operations, affordably and effectively delivering fuel (and cargo) in the air and on the ground.

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With its recent flight tests, Victory demonstrated that it has conquered the technical hurdles, but some bureaucratic hurdles may remain. Being able to refuel mid-flight offers great benefits and competitive advantages…which is why air refueling systems are specifically controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. So a parallel effort exists, directed at gaining Government approvals to expand the employment of air refueling into other critical mission areas, outside of the military. Victory is confident that their KC-1000 can greatly expand the use of air refueling, and thus save lives and property, not only during military missions but also in aerial firefighting, search and rescue, critical cargo deliveries, energy exploration, and disaster/humanitarian response. A government would be foolish to withhold this value from these critical civilian missions.

Victory’s initial sales efforts are in progress, and their team will be modifying a single-engine aircraft with a probe as a fuel receiver, for proof-of-concept operations in support of the next US firefighting season. They are continually growing their team, refining their design, and looking for creative ways to globally deploy the uncommon value of Air Refueling On Demand.