The Ripon II carried a 145-gallon main fuel tank at the centre of gravity in the central fuselage and pumped fuel onward to a 17-gallon service tank. A separate four-gallon coolant tank sat beside the service tank in the upper centre section. For reconnaissance duties, removing the armament allowed a 120-gallon auxiliary fuel tank to hang from the torpedo crutches, increasing endurance to fourteen hours. A wind-driven pump in the auxiliary tank's nose fed fuel into the main system.
Notable Point · 1:58-2:27
The Ripon II's fuel system for fourteen-hour reconnaissance
The Ripon II placed its main fuel tank at the centre of gravity and could trade armament for an auxiliary tank that extended reconnaissance endurance to fourteen hours.