A US Marine KC-130J crew with Detachment A, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352) escorted four MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft from Helmand Province, Afghanistan, to the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) in the Arabian Sea on 6 September 2012. The KC-130J crew acted as pathfinder for the Ospreys, which have no radar, during the ninety-minute flight to the ship. After dropping the Ospreys off at the Iwo Jima, the KC-130J crew returned to Camp Bastion to prepare for another day of supporting Regional Command Southwest. VMGR-352, known as the Raiders, is based at MCAS Miramar, California. The Ospreys are assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, deployed from MCAS New River, North Carolina.
