The European Defence Agency (EDA) is launching a new research project to improve the efficiency and success rate of air-to-air refuelling (AAR) missions that uses the hose and drogue method by developing an automated system.
Staff Sgt. Perry Aston, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The project, which has a budget of $4.26 million, will be led by Spain in collaboration with Germany and involve an industry consortium including Airbus Defence and Space, GMV, the German Aerospace Center, and AES Technology.
The first phase of the project will focus on technology trade-offs and the development of a simulation environment to evaluate the optimal trajectory of the receiver aircraft towards the drogue.
By developing automation technology for AAR operations using the hose and drogue system, tanker aircraft such as A330 MRTT, A400M or C295, will be better equipped to handle more demanding operations and be prepared for the integration of next-generation unmanned platforms. The automation technology will provide assistance to the aircraft during the AAR operation, increasing the success rate of missions and enhancing operational effectiveness.
The US Navy has been working on the development of an Actively Stabilized Refueling Drogue System (ASDRS) to improve the efficiency and success rate of air-to-air refuelling (AAR) operations. In August of 2019, the Navy conducted wind tunnel testing and demonstrations of the ASDRS, which was made possible with the help of the Optical Reference System (ORS). The ASDRS consists of a pair of aluminum shrouds mounted onto the hose end-refuelling coupling that can rotate, with lift and roll strakes on the shrouds that produce lift force and roll torque to stabilize the drogue. The ORS, which consists of high-resolution cameras and image processing algorithms, provides position feedback to the ASDRS to help control the system.
The results of the demonstrations showed that these technologies have the potential to transform the AAR mission.
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