However, Israeli aircraft would have to fly through Turkey, or either Jordan and Syria and then Iraq to reach Iranian aerospace over six hundred miles away—and remember, key targets will likely be much further from the border. This also happens test the range limit of most combat-loaded fourth-generation fighters, meaning they would need conspicuous aerial tankers to make the raid viable. Furthermore, Israeli warplanes would have to disable or destroy Iranian air defenses, which would require additional time and aircraft. Tilt-rotor tankers, taking off from cargo ships sitting in the Indian Ocean, could re-fuel F-35s taking the long route from Israel, down the Red Sea and around the Arabian peninsula.
The Corps is on track to turn the MV-22 into a refueling tanker