aerial refueling?

Question

the entire world uses a drogue with a hose to refuel their aircraft in midair... how come the USAF uses a flying boom? shouldn't the drogue and hose require less coordination and therefore safer and easier? what advantages does the flying boom have over the hose-drogue system?

Answer 1

It's my understanding that the boom allows a much higher rate of fuel transfer than the baskets.
I think its also easier for the fueling pilot. They just line up on the lights behind the gas station and the boom pilot flys into you. The boom is easier to make fine maneuver corrections than the aircraft if it is chasing a bouncing basket.
Baskets also frequently give the refueling aircraft a bit of a beating. They bop around and whack into the aircraft before and after they plug in. Booms are more stable and predictable.

Honestly, the baskets have a lot of advantages:
- more than one fueling at a time if they're at wingtips
- lighter
- simpler
- you can fuel helicopters
- smaller aircraft can act as refuelers (don't need a rear-facing position)

If I were in the USAF driver's seat I would phase out the booms over time and standardize with the rest of NATO and the world and go for exclusively baskets.

Answer 2

The boom has a much higher flow rate and is less taxing on the reciever pilot. Bomber pilots benefit most from the boom as they recieve more fuel than a fighter and transfer of such large quantities through the drogue is stressing, time consuming and contrary to your description, more hazardous. I am not a pilot, but if I were to do a midair refuelling, I would opt for the one which will give me a chance to get off the bigger aircrafts wake at the earliest.

You correctly mentioned that the USAF uses the boom extensively while the Navy prefers the cheaper and simpler drogues. This is mainly because the US Navy doesnot have large strategic bombers and so no need for huge fuel transfers.

Answer 3

The drogue system requires the pilot of the aircraft being refuled to be able to fly his aircraft well enough to not only engage the basket but push it in ten feet. The boom system only requires the pilot of the airdraft being fueled to maintain one position. The boom operator in the fueling aircraft extends and flies the boom to the aircraft being refueled. I guess the Air Force feels that it's easier to train one boom operator than all the pilots. PS The boom operator is generally an enlisted man-therefore he is easier to train?? :) PPs The Navy has never used the boom method. All their air craft have been set up to use the drogue.

Answer 4

one of the main disadvantages of the drogue system, is the pilot has to be able to see it to connect to it. With a lot of the US air planes, the In flight refueling receptacle connection is out of sight of the pilot, so the flying boom is used, the boom is operated by a fellow in the tail of the air plane who is in contact with the pilot of the aircraft trying to fuel . He guides hm in and then lowers the boom in for the Final connection.

Answer 5

it may use all the gasoline. a protracted way No, none shot down that i understand of. i've got not got self belief the KC-10 would properly be aerial refueled, and there are purely a handful of KC-135s so geared up. thank you for the records on the KC-10 Dennis. I by no capacity labored on 'em.

Answer 6

Aerial refueling aircraft are strategic assets for any armed force.A series of air refuelings can give range limited only by crew fatigue and engineering factors such as engine oil consumption.Here some of world's biggest aerial refueling aircraft's.

Answer 7

i am already on the phone with the president,He state very clear, that He will take care of that aesthetic problem.

Answer 8

Well the FBI & CIA monitor this site and right now they want to know WHY YOU WANT TO KNOW!!!!!?