Cobham : KC-46 demonstrates its aerial refuelling systems

The KC-46A Pegasus notched another success this week when the systems at the heart of aerial refuelling were demonstrated on EMD-2 with the deployment of both drogue systems and the boom.

On Thursday, EMD-2 successfully extended the drogue refuelling baskets from both the Centerline Drogue System, located on the belly of the fuselage, and from the Wing Aerial Refuelling Pods, located on the wing tips, for probe receiver aircraft. On Friday, EMD-2 extended the boom, the telescoping tube which an operator on the tanker aircraft extends to receptacle-equipped receiver aircraft.

'The core mission of Pegasus is to fuel the fight, so deploying the boom and drogues signals real progress toward demonstrating the ability to pass fuel in flight,' said Brig. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, Programme Executive Officer for Tankers at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. 'This sets the stage for the main act, which is hooking up to and refuelling an aircraft in flight.'

The rigid, centerline boom, used on the KC-135 and KC-10, has been the Air Force standard for in-flight refuelling since the 1950s. With a 1,200 gallons-per-minute transfer rate from the KC-46, the boom will be the fastest way to refuel. Just like all previous tankers, the Pegasus can refuel a single aircraft at a time on the boom.

On the other hand, Air Force helicopters and all Navy and Marine Corps aircraft use the hose and drogue method of refuelling. The two drogue systems on the KC-46 -- CDS and WARPs -- pass fuel at a rate of 400 gallons per minute, and the WARPs can refuel more than one aircraft at a time. The KC-46A is a leap forward, as it can conduct boom and drogue refueling on a single mission without landing to reconfigure.

'These capability gains are vital to the tanker mission in support of Global Reach and Global Power providing the U.S. military the ability to extend the range of aircraft to respond wherever it's called to duty. This tanker will be able to refuel any fixed wing aircraft or helicopter in the DoD fleet, while being able to take on fuel itself,' said Col. Christopher Coombs, KC-46 System Program Manager.

The Air Force contracted with Boeing in February 2011 to acquire 179 KC-46A refueling tankers to begin recapitalising the aging tanker fleet. The programme is currently working to meet the Required Assets Available date, a milestone requiring 18 KC-46A aircraft and all necessary support equipment to be on the ramp, ready to support warfighter needs by August 2017.

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