Boeing to Lead UAV Aerial Refueling Demo

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Boeing to Lead UAV Aerial Refueling Demo
Aviation Week's DTI | Graham Warwick | November 21, 2008

A Boeing-led team has been selected to continue development of a system enabling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to autonomously rendezvous with a tanker and refuel.

Phase 2 of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) program will involve actual fuel delivery to a surrogate UAV.

In Phase 1, a Boeing-led government-industry team demonstrated a UAV could autonomously maneuver between seven standard refueling positions behind a tanker. Acting as a surrogate UAV, a Calspan-operated Learjet remained in position behind the KC-135 as the tanker flew a standard refueling orbit.

But the Learjet is not equipped for aerial fueling, so Phase 2 flight-tests will use the Air Force Test Pilot School's Calspan-operated VISTA F-16 in-flight simulator. The modified fighter is equipped for boom-and-receptacle refueling and can host the AAR-specific navigation and control systems.

Phase 2 of the AAR program is aimed at developing and demonstrating the capability for a long-range strike vehicle, including a future unmanned variant of the Air Force's planned Next-generation Bomber, to autonomously refuel from existing tankers.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,179695,00.html?wh=news