alternative tanker air-to-air refueling aircraft

[Scotaidh]

I didn't think anything could fly slow enough to be refueled by a 'Bou...must do it in a dive

Regards,

Greg

The refueling aircraft is a Mohawk ... not the fastest bird. 

[Scotaidh]

McColm,

IFR is a tricky game at the best of times (eg clear weather, experienced tanker & receiver crew, etc).  To throw in supersonic speed to the mix would be asking for trouble even if a hose & drogue or flying boom could be deployed at that speed.  I can't think of any operational reason that would see the necessity for an aircraft being refuelled at anything other than a pedestrian speed.

Regards,

Mav

Well, Concorde needn't be supersonic whilst refueling, but the dash capability would be nice to have.  I've always thought there were plenty of military applications for Concorde - transport, for instance.  Yes, only 120-odd passengers, but what about using it to deliver, say, a detachment of SAS or Paras in a hurry?  'Cos when you need those blokes, you generally need them yesterday.

I was going to suggest refueling, but McColm beat me to it.    I still think it'd work, though.  Someone mentioned slip-stream causing problems for the drogue- well, Concorde was just about the slipperiest aircraft out there, I think. 

[NARSES2]

Well, Concorde needn't be supersonic whilst refueling, but the dash capability would be nice to have.  I've always thought there were plenty of military applications for Concorde - transport, for instance.  Yes, only 120-odd passengers, but what about using it to deliver, say, a detachment of SAS or Paras in a hurry?  'Cos when you need those blokes, you generally need them yesterday.

I was going to suggest refueling, but McColm beat me to it.    I still think it'd work, though.  Someone mentioned slip-stream causing problems for the drogue- well, Concorde was just about the slipperiest aircraft out there, I think.

If you were shifting fully armed troops then probably 60/80 would be the most she could carry but I see your point 

I've always thought she should have been kept on either simply as a Royal Flight aircraft, just for the prestige and the glamour ? Also a couple as emergency relief aircraft ? They could get a team of medics out to where needed quickly and the heavy equipment could follow latter ? You always need to get a team on the ground as quickly as possible to sort out what is actually needed. Opportunities missed in my view.

[PR19_Kit]

It'd be not so much the actual slipstream that would cause problems, but the shockwave off the AAR drogue I suspect. that would interact with the shockwave coming off the nose of the receiver to cause all sorts of problems for the poor pilot trying to hook up.

[tigercat]

Chinook tanker for helicopter refuelling.

[scooter]

H-Tail, jet-powered C-123 COD

[McColm]

If you thought of adding in-flight refueling pods to your Revell Airbus A400M Grizzly/Atlas kit as a whiff, the German Luftwaffe has beaten you to it.

[Spey_Phantom]

Airbus also recently equiped the C295 with refueing equipment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rggB-YkzKaU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcDdHmyNxAs

Also, IAI is offering tanker conversions for various aircraft, including the larger Gulfstreams and the Boeing 737 as tactical tankers.

http://www.iai.co.il/sip_storage/FILES/1/38471.pdf