Air to Air Refueling

 

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. Our company offers this service using state of the art air refueling tankers to the air forces of different nations in war zones or peaceful areas.

Aircraft Being Used By Us

The aircraft we use for refueling are industry leaders in technology and reliability. You can contact us for round the clock refueling of your aircraft whether on a regular journey or in case of emergencies.

A330-200 MRTT

Crew                                                 3

Wingspan                                          60.3 m

Maximum Speed                              611 Km/hr

Maximum Takeoff Weight               2,33,000 Kg

Manufacturer                                    Airbus

Fuel Capacity                                   1,39,090 Litres

Service Ceiling                                  13,000 m

Range                                                14,800 km

        

KC-10 Extender

Crew                                             4

Wingspan                                      50 m

Maximum Speed                          996 Km/hr

Maximum Takeoff Weight           2,69,000 Kg

Manufacturer                                Boeing 

Fuel Capacity                               1,60,200 Litres

Range                                            7,081 Km

Service Ceiling                             12,727 m

Types of AAR We Offer

• 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

We have inducted the Airbus A330 MRTT in our service which uses the first ever automatic air to air refueling using the flying boom system.

How the system works ?

Once the system is activated by our 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.