There are no regular civilian in-flight refueling activities. The cost of the refueling equipment on both tanker and receiver aircraft and the specialized aircraft handling of the aircraft to be refueled (very close "line astern" formation flying) has resulted in the activity only being used in military operations.
Usually, the aircraft providing the fuel is specially designed for the task, although refueling pods can be fitted to existing aircraft designs if the "probe-and-drogue" system is to be used. Potential fuel savings in the range of 35–40% have been estimated for long-haul flights (including the fuel used during the tanker missions). Aerial refueling has also been considered as a means to reduce fuel consumption on long-distance flights greater than 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km 3,500 mi). As the receiver aircraft can be topped up with extra fuel in the air, air refueling can allow a takeoff with a greater payload which could be weapons, cargo, or personnel: the maximum takeoff weight is maintained by carrying less fuel and topping up once airborne.
INFLIGHT AIR REFUELING TEAM IFART SERIES
A series of air refuelings can give range limited only by crew fatigue and engineering factors such as engine oil consumption. The procedure allows the receiving aircraft to remain airborne longer, extending its range or loiter time. The two main refueling systems are probe-and-drogue, which is simpler to adapt to existing aircraft, and the flying boom, which offers faster fuel transfer, but requires a dedicated boom operator station. A KC-135 Stratotanker refuels an F-16 Fighting Falcon using a flying boomĪerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling ( IFR), air-to-air refueling ( AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one military aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) during flight.
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