Carrier-based tanker aircraft aren't a new concept - the US Navy had dedicated tanker aircraft starting in 1967 with the KA-3B[1], and later the KA-6D[2], and f

Carrier-based tanker aircraft aren't a new concept - the US Navy had dedicated tanker aircraft starting in 1967 with the KA-3B[1], and later the KA-6D[2], and finally the S-3[3] (initially an ASW aircraft, but used mostly for the tanker mission by the end of its service life). The lack of a dedicated carrier-based tanker aircraft is an unusual anomaly that's being worked around at great cost by pressing FA/18E/F aircraft into service as part-time tankers. At its core, this will fix a regression in capability vs. unlocking significant new capability. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-3_Skywarrior#Variants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-3_Skywarrior#Variant... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_A-6_Intruder#KA-6D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_A-6_Intruder#KA-6D [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_S-3_Viking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_S-3_Viking