Refueling fighter jets mid-flight is complex, but new tech from Airbus could simplify the process
An F/A-18 Hornet uses a "probe-and-drogue" system for refueling in 2016. (Lance Cpl. Miguel A. Rosales / US Marine Corps/)Imagine filling your car with gasoline as you’re cruising down the highway. Oh, and the fuel is flowing from a tanker truck speeding in front of you. That’s something like what combat pilots have to contend with when refueling while airborne.The maneuver is known as air-to-air refueling (AAR), in-flight refueling, or even just tanking. It plays a vital role in extending the range of fighter planes, and it saves air forces precious time by enabling their planes to cover vast distances without needing to land in possibly unfriendly countries. In the 1990 Gulf War, for example, F-15 fighter jets flew 14-hours non-stop from Virginia to Kuwait—with seven AARs en-route!And just recently, Airbus announced that it had completed, for the first time, a step towards “automatic” air refueling—more on that breakthrough down...