Aerial Re-Fuelling

ABSTRACT
We have all seen images of combat aircrafts bombing Afghanistan and Iraq on our television sets. These aircrafts have traveled thousands of miles, to reach their destination. This would not have been possible without aerial refueling. Aerial refueling is one of the concepts that has emerged in recent years and the importance of which cannot be undermined. The seminar report is aimed at providing a better understanding of this concept. It covers various aspects of aerial refueling such as1. The history and development. 2. The need and importance in modern warfare. 3. Various systems in use. 4. Dangers involved during operation 5. Future scope.

Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur

Aerial Re-Fuelling

INTRODUCTION
Aerial refueling, also called as In-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling, is the practice of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. This allows the receiving aircraft to remain in flight for a longer duration and to take of with a larger payload. Aerial refueling, thus allows aircraft engines to receive fuel while in flight and today it is common for many large air forces. It is the equivalent of refueling car by connecting it to a tanker truck while driving down the highway at high speed. The importance of aerial refueling was reemphasized during the Gulf War. Getting the warplanes and their support equipment and personnel as well as ground combat troops, equipment, and supplies to the Middle East required an extraordinary aerial refueling effort on short notice. The first group of deployed F-15s required seven refueling during their fifteen-hour flight direct to Saudi Arabia from Langley, Virginia. Once in theater, aerial refueling continued to play a critical role. Without it, the F-117A stealth fighter would have run out of fuel before it could drop its bombs. Many aircrafts returned to their refueling points with barely any fuel left.Fuel is a necessary evil in aircraft. It's a heavy energy source that consumes space. Fighters like the F16 trade fuel capacity for performance and payload. For short-range air defense, the tradeoff works just fine. To fly long distances, however, designers resort to auxiliary fuel tanks in various configurations. With rare exceptions, pilots would choose not to carry auxiliary fuel tanks in combat, whether for airto-air or for tactical missions. The tanks increase fuel consumption, reduce ordinance payloads and G limits, and tend to reduce top speed of the aircraft. Dropping the tanks before combat solves these problems, but the practice is wasteful and involves other compromises. Even with extra tanks, a fighter could never cross the vast oceans by the most direct route without running dry. The only practical answer is to pick up extra fuel along the way, i.e. refuel on the way.
Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur 2

Aerial Re-Fuelling

HISTORY
The history of Aerial Refueling stretches way back to the 1920s.At that time the primary purpose for development of such a system was to create endurance records (staying in air as long as possible). In the 1930s, it was thought that air-to-air refueling could have great advantages in commercial aviation. However, this idea never really took off. After the World War II, aerial refueling was developed completely for military purposes. In 1917, a pilot in the Imperial Russian Navy, Alexander Sever sky, proposed increasing the range of combat aircraft by refueling them in flight. De Sever sky soon immigrated to the United States and became an engineer in the War Department. He applied for and received the first patent for air-to-air refueling in 1921. In 1923, the U.S. Army undertook tests at Rockwell Field, San Diego, California, to test a more practical way to lower a hose from one airplane to refuel another in flight. In its tests, a DH-4B biplane outfitted as a tanker and equipped with a 50-foot (15-meter) length of hose and a quick-acting shutoff valve would fly above the receiver and lower the hose. The person in the rear seat of the receiver aircraft would grab the hose and connect it to the aircraft. If the hose became detached, the valve would immediately cut off the flow, preventing it from spraying fuel over the receiving aircraft and its pilot. In the same year, one of the DH-4Bs established 14 world records with a flight lasting more than 37 hours. This achievement prompted many private pilots to attempt aerial (or in-flight) refueling, primarily to establish long duration flying records. By 1930, the record surpassed 553 hours in flight (requiring 223 refueling contacts). In July, the record was 647.5 hours in the Curtiss Robin monoplane Greater St. Louis, nearly 27 days in the air.
Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur 3

Aerial Re-Fuelling

REFUELING SYSTEMS:

4.1 PROBE AND DROGUE SYSTEM:

During the Korean War, a probe-and-drogue system was developed. The drogue, sometimes called a basket, is a fitting resembling a plastic badminton shuttlecock, attached to a flexible hose at its narrow end, with a valve where the two meet. It is carried by the tanker, as seen in fig 3, where the Harriet's left wing meets the body. The receiver has a probe, which is a rigid, sometimes jointed, arm placed usually on the side of the airplane. AIRCRAFTS USING PROBE AND DROGUE 1. KA-29M and KB-50 - Adapted from B-29 Super fortress. 2. Lockheed L-1011 Tri-Star. a) K1 and KC1 variants deployed by Royal Air Force (RAF) and Canadian Forces Air Command (CFAC).

Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur

Aerial Re-Fuelling

4.2 BOOM AND RECEIVER SYSTEM: The drawbacks of the probe and drogue system were addressed by a new refueling concept used by today's Air Force - the flying boom. In this concept, a crewmember in the rear of the tanker controls a telescoping rigid boom into a receptacle on the receive The boom is a long, rigid, hollow shaft, usually fitted to the rear of the aircraft. It usually has a telescoping extension, a valve at the end to keep fuel in and permit it to flow, and small wings, sometimes known as ruddevators depending on design particulars (generally in the "V" shape), to enable it to be "flown" into the receiver of the aircraft to be refueled. This receiver is fitted onto the top of the aircraft, on its centerline and usually either behind or close in front of the cockpit. The receiver is a round opening which connects to the fuel tanks, with a valve to keep the fuel in when not being refueled, and dust and debris out. The boom has a nozzle which fits into this opening. AIRCRAFTS USING BOOM AND RECEIVER 1. KC-29P and KC-97 - Adapted from B-29 Super fortress. 2. KC-35 Stratotanker. a) Can also use a drogue adapter. 3. KC-10 Extender -Also has a retractable probe and drogue.

Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur

Aerial Re-Fuelling

4.3 BUDDY STORES SYSTEM: U.S. Air Force operated for many years using both the flying boom and probe and drogue systems. It finally phased out the latter in favor of the boom, which could operate at significantly higher speeds and deliver fuel much faster. The Navy preferred the probe and drogue system, which could be mounted on smaller carrier-based aircraft. Navy engineers also developed a "buddy stores" system. This consisted of a fuel tank with a hose and drogue and enabled one aircraft to refuel an identical aircraft and did not require dedicated tanker aircraft. The Buddy Store System is thus, a

Refueling from one F/A 18E to another (A"Buddy stores" system). Fig 2 The buddy system incorporated a tank the same size and shape as a 450-gallon aircraft external fuel tank that was divided into two compartments, one containing fuel, the other the refueling mechanism. Fuel was transferred from the tanker via a "drogue" to a "probe" in the leading edge of the receiving aircraft. This system is also called the Republic Buddy System. AIRCRAFTS USING BUDDY STORES SYSTEM 1. Republic RF-84 Thunder jet.
Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur 6

Aerial Re-Fuelling

2. Republic F-84 Thunder streak.

REFUELING PROCEDURE:
Air Refueling operations are normally conducted are normally conducted specified tracks or anchor areas. The tanker is responsible for requesting clearance for the receiver. An anchor pattern is shown in the following figure.

Fig 7

Tankers are nothing, but aircrafts that have been built solely for the purpose of refueling. Today most tankers have been modified to act as a cargo aircraft to the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The two more commonly used tankers include the KC-10A Extender and the KC135.

Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur

Aerial Re-Fuelling

STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURE: Normally, the tanker aircraft enters the track at the ARCP (air refueling control point), and the receiver aircraft enters at the air refueling initial point (ARIP).

1. Tanker requests delay at the ARCP and advise ATC (air traffic control) of the requested aerial refueling block altitudes. ATC approves delay and issues clearance. 2. Tanker enters orbit pattern airspace for delay at ARCP. 3. Receivers are cleared to request altitude and receiver to tanker communication is established. 4. ATC issues clearance to conduct aerial refueling along the track. 5. ATC shall ensure that nonparticipating aircraft remain clear of the area until the rendezvous is complete. 6. Tanker and receiver aircraft complete rendezvous and proceed down track. During aerial refueling, the tanker is responsible for receiver aircraft navigation along the track and for all tanker/receiver communications with ATC. 7. Tanker advises ATC of tanker and receiver end aerial refueling altitude requests at least five (5) minutes prior to exit. 8. At or prior to the exit point, ATC issues tanker and receiver altitude clearances. 9. Prior to exit, tanker vertically positions the aircraft in the formation within the air refueling airspace to facilitate breakup at the exit point (normally, tanker at highest altitude of aerial refueling block and receiver at lowest altitude).
Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur 8

Aerial Re-Fuelling

ADVANTAGES
1.rarely as easy as it is during peacetime. The lack of navigation facilities and ground radar-assisted air traffic control over wide areas required pilots and navigators to earn their keep. The lessons gathered by the tanker community from the Gulf War will serve in the future. 2.It speed upto maximum Speed: 619 mph (Mach 0.825). 3.Maximum Takeoff Weight: 590,000 pounds (265,500 kilograms). Range: 4,400 miles (3,800 nautical miles) with cargo; 11,500 miles (10,000 nautical miles) without cargo.

DISADVANTAGES
1.fuel transfer rates were slow. 2.The probe-and-drogue method also placed a high workload on the pilot of the receiving aircraft because the early drogues were not very stable and tended to wander in tight circles. 3.Successfully hooking up took much practice and training.

Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur

Aerial Re-Fuelling

CONCLUSIONS:

Aerial Refueling has proved to be extremely beneficial to the defence industry. It has changed the way wars are fought. Today, combat aircrafts can fly thousands of miles without the risk of running dry, only because of aerial refueling. It has become indispensable to the defence industry.But, despite all the technological advances, there is still scope for the better, in terms of reduction in cost and safety features in the system.The past few years has seen a lot of interest accompanied by investment in aerial refueling system for civil aviation. It will help to bring down the cost, time and money (especially for long-haul flights). It will also help in regulation of air traffic. There is no doubt that it will change the face of the airline industry and provide a much-needed boost.

REFERENCES

1. Pocket Aircraft Dorling Kindersley, London. 2. Research Update- NASA Drysden Research Update 3. Boeing news release-1999 4. www.codeonemagazine.com 5. www.aviation-zone.com 6. www.riveting-images.com

Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur

10

Aerial Re-Fuelling

Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur

11

Aerial Re-Fuelling

Dept of mechanical engineering hmsit tumkur

12