1/72 Revell B-2 ATB into stealthy aerial refueling tanker.......or not?

[seadude]

A stealth boat if you lower the wings or apply some heat and bend them in a downwards position or upwards to create a submarine Manta Ray.
1/48 cockpit and turn it into a fighter-bomber.

Already tried a manta ray type submersible ages ago. Converted an Ho-229 flying wing fighter because a bunch of parts were lost/destroyed due to a basement accident.  It had two stealth torpedoes under the wings and also scratch built micro-torpedo launchers on either side of the weapons bay. The weapons bay also carried two scratch built torpedoes.

[seadude]

Gondor, you're really making this idea/project difficult for me.

Been doing a bit of research lately. The USAF has been using what's called the Multi-point Refueling Pod system on some of its aircraft. Some pictures of the pod are below.
You can read about it in this Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling
So if for any reason I can't put in a long refueling boom on the model, then maybe I could go with an MPRP system? The pictures much further below show a possible plan. Though the pods would have to be spaced further apart instead of closer inward.
Even if I could add a refueling boom on the model, it would have to be added where the aft closed weapons bay is. I'd have to cut open the doors, scratch build an interior, and somehow add a boom.
The two open weapon bays would be closed. Or I could leave them open. I could cut out the ALCM portions and install some sort of round fuel tanks in those bays.
I remember having the old Revell 1/48 scale B-1B bomber model kit when I was a teen and it had a round fuel tank in the very aft bomb bay in it.
This link has dimensions for the refueling boom. https://amcmuseum.org/collections/kc-135-boom-assembly/
To put a boom on my model, at 1/72 scale, a retracted boom would be approx. 4 3/4" inches long. A fully extended boom in 1/72 scale would be approx. 8" inches long. 
The only way to create a boom of those dimensions would be to make it telescoping as someone previously said. And to somehow make it stealthy? yeah, good luck on that.

[Gondor]

Glad to be of help 

A stealth boom would have to be a flattened diamond shape like this <>. Fitting such a shape to the fuselage could be as simple as a couple of triangular ridges that close the gap between the fuselage and the boom when the boom is retracted. Also, if you make the initial section large enough you can fit smaller sections inside, like a nest of Russian Dolls. This means you can then make it extend as long as necessary in the back story while not showing its full length on the model. The flying wing on the boom would be faceted as well, just like the F-117 Nighthawk wings were. The last couple of feet, in real life, would have to be a tube with the nozzle on it but the tube section could easily be coated in RAM.

See, I don't just find the problem, I also come up with solutions, maybe a day or so later but I do try to help.

Gondor

[seadude]

Glad to be of help 

A stealth boom would have to be a flattened diamond shape like this <>. Fitting such a shape to the fuselage could be as simple as a couple of triangular ridges that close the gap between the fuselage and the boom when the boom is retracted. Also, if you make the initial section large enough you can fit smaller sections inside, like a nest of Russian Dolls. This means you can then make it extend as long as necessary in the back story while not showing its full length on the model. The flying wing on the boom would be faceted as well, just like the F-117 Nighthawk wings were. The last couple of feet, in real life, would have to be a tube with the nozzle on it but the tube section could easily be coated in RAM.

See, I don't just find the problem, I also come up with solutions, maybe a day or so later but I do try to help.

Gondor

Oh, I come up with solutions as well.   How about this? The radar mast on Arleigh Burke class destroyers is faceted or "diamond shaped" as you said. I was thinking of using that (and part of a propeller shaft) as the basis for an extendable refueling boom.

[Gondor]

The general bouncing ideas off other people is a good way to do things if you are a bit stuck for ideas, which is what you have done, even if you get some crazy suggestions back from time to time.

Gondor

[jcf]

There's no reason that it has to have a single boom on the centreline like a
KC-135 etc., it's not a tube with wings.

A boom assembly mounted outboard of the wing break on each side, pivoted
at the front and retracting flush to the under surface of the wing. 

People are worrying too much about the "stealth" aspects, the LO factors would
only matter coming and going, once the refueling starts the stealth goes out the
window.

Oh, yeah as to a "telescoping" boom, they're already telescoping, they have to be
in order to accommodate customers of various sizes with refueling receptacles in
various places.

[seadude]

There's no reason that it has to have a
single boom on the centreline like a
KC-135 etc., it's not a tube with wings.

A boom assembly mounted outboard of
the wing break on each side, pivoted at
the front and retracting flush to the under
surface of the wing.

People are worrying to much about the
"stealth" aspects, the LO factors would
only matter coming and going, once the
refueling starts the stealth goes out the
window.

Oh, yeah as to a "telescoping" boom,
they're already telescoping, they have
to be in order to accomodate customers
of various sizes with refueling receptacles
in various places.

There's a reason I want to try and at least have a refueling boom in the center underside of the aircraft as well as possibly having two "probe and drogue" (One under each wing) systems on the model aircraft.
This model is large enough where you can have BOTH refueling systems on it to accomodate all manner of aircraft that need refueling. Some aircraft can only get refueled with a boom system. While others can only get refueled with the probe and drogue system. I want (or hope to have/build) a model that can do both. A tanker that is versatile and can do both systems is a huge advantage. Especially since it's a flying wing tanker. All that extra wing space for fuel plus extra tankage in the bomb bays is quite a plus.

[PR19_Kit]

The KC-10s had both systems, the boom in the usual position and a drogue reel under the tail slightly off-set to starboard from the boom.

You can see it in this pic, the red arrow shows it fully stowed.

[jcf]

The problem with a centreline boom is that it's directly in line with the engine exhaust,
unlike on a standard tube with wings where the exhaust efflux, and resulting vortices,
are outboard. As a result the air below and behind the tail of the tanker is relatively
clean. It wouldn't be with a flying wing design with centre clustered engines, in that
case the receiving aircraft would be in completely disturbed air. It would not be good
for either aircraft. "Clean air" on a flying wing or BWB is going to be well out from the
centreline. 

As Kit's photo shows you can have both systems without requiring an external pod.
The probe and drogue reel could be right next to the refueling booms, just as in the
KC-10 photo.

Trying to figure out how you're going to solve your issues in this case illustrates how
poorly suited the flying wing or BWB layout is to anything other than a single, highly
specialized role. Works great for a bomber, pretty much crap for anything else.

[seadude]

The problem with a centreline boom is that it's directly in line with the engine exhaust,
unlike on a standard tube with wings where the exhaust efflux, and resulting vortices,
are outboard. As a result the air below and behind the tail of the tanker is relatively
clean. It wouldn't be with a flying wing design with centre clustered engines, in that
case the receiving aircraft would be in completely disturbed air. It would not be good
for either aircraft. "Clean air" on a flying wing or BWB is going to be well out from the
centreline.

As Kit's photo shows you can have both systems without requiring an external pod.
The probe and drogue reel could be right next to the refueling booms, just as in the
KC-10 photo.

Trying to figure out how you're going to solve your issues in this case illustrates how
poorly suited the flying wing or BWB layout is to anything other than a single, highly
specialized role. Works great for a bomber, pretty much crap for anything else.

I get what you're saying. But since this whole model idea is a whif, I can chuck some "technical believeability" out the window. After all, I'm willing to bet at least 60-75% of the model projects created on this website won't work for various reasons in a real world.

[PR19_Kit]

After all, I'm willing to bet at least 60-75% of the model projects created on this website won't work for various reasons in a real world.

What? WHAT?

That almost counts as gross heresy here, you know!   


(Joking of course............)

[jcf]

Well, if you're just going to go for hand-wavium why bother asking how it might work?

[seadude]

@jcf:
Take a look at some of the artist concepts in this link.
https://www.twz.com/air/new-skunk-works-stealth-tanker-concept-unveiled
There's at least 2-3 designs where the engines are on top of the aircraft.
Now I could try something similar, except that I have no spare parts in my spares box nor do I have anything from other kits that I can rob to make such a concept for my model proposal.

[PR19_Kit]

An interesting piece about the various tanker concepts, but I ju8st had to laugh at the pic of the ultra-stealthy tanker refuelling a C-130J that must have been visible to the enemy's radar from about 2000 miles away! 

[Old Wombat]

An interesting piece about the various tanker concepts, but I ju8st had to laugh at the pic of the ultra-stealthy tanker refuelling a C-130J that must have been visible to the enemy's radar from about 2000 miles away! 

Yeah, but tankers are a valuable & limited logistics asset, if you can get them too & from the re-fueling zone undetected then you're less likely to lose them.