Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Air-to-air refueling Message-ID: <1990Nov16.054115.23709@cbnews.att.com> Date: 16 Nov 90 05:41:15 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 30 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Mary Shafer Brett W Johnson (bjohnson@athena.mit.edu) writes: I have a question on air-to-air refueling. I read recently that modern jets/tankers have electronics (ie radar) designed to maintain proper seperation of the planes and nozzle alignment. Can AA refueling be accomplished w/o this? Using only the skill of the pilots & boom operator? First a quick bit of information--the USAF uses boom/receptacle refuelling and everyone else uses probe/drogue refuelling. This is because USAF's big bombers can't feasibly be refuelled with probe/drogue. Yes, air-to-air refuelling is accomplished by pilots and boomers and has been since the 50s, when it was developed. If so, why wasn't this technique used in WW2? Or was it? Because it wasn't until jets came around that refuelling became imperative. Range extension in WW II fighters came from drop tanks. -- Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilot