What is Air to Air Refueling (AAR) ?

Air to Air Refueling (AAR) 

Refueling mid-air is also referred to as aerial refueling, which is the pumping of fuel from one aircraft, the tanker, to another aircraft. The procedures require that both the aircrafts fly in formation and in close coordination with each other.

Types of AAR

• Probe & Drogue - This is an easier method to adapt to existing aircraft. The engineer unrolls a long hose from a wingtip or below the fuselage. There is a basket or a drogue at the end of the hose that looks like a windsock. Once the hose has reached the maximum extension, the receiver pilot must insert a retractable probe into the basket or drogue. The retractable probe is mounted on the plane’s nose. The engineer and the receiver pilot must gently maneuver the probe so that it will latch into the basket.

       

• Flying Boom - The flying boom is a method that requires a dedicated operator who sits at the back of the tank. He navigates a telescopic tube into a receptacle which is located near the front of the receiver plane. A signal is sent to the tanker to begin pumping aviation gas when the boom latches. The flying boom can pump a lot more fuel than the probe-and-drogue. This is efficient for large airplanes which have much larger fuel tanks.

Advancement in Flying Boom Method

Airbus has recently achieved the achievement in conducting first ever automatic air to air refueling using the flying boom system.

Once the system is activated by the ARO (Air Refueling Operator), the A3R system flies the boom automatically and keeps the alignment between the boom tip and the receiver receptacle with an accuracy of a couple of centimetres. The proper alignment and the receiver stability is checked in real-time to keep a safe distance between the boom and the receiver and also to determine the optimum moment to extend the telescopic beam to achieve the connection with the receiver. At this point, the fuel transfer is initiated to fill up the receiver aircraft and once completed and the disconnection is commanded, the boom is cleared away from the receiver by retracting the telescopic beam and flying the boom away to keep a safe separation distance. During this process, the ARO (Air Refueling Operator) simply monitors the operation.