26.03.2023, 07:25
Zitat:Podded Aerial Refueling Boom Design Has Been Completed For Air Forcehttps://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/po...-air-force
Work on a pod-mounted aerial refueling boom has advanced significantly, as the Air Force looks at solving its future tanker conundrums. [...] The concept of a podded refueling boom has been around for a while now, but this seems to be the first sign that the U.S. Air Force is now much more serious about the program. This is especially interesting as the service is starting to weigh options for future tanker capabilities, with a particular eye on tanker survivability in and around more contested airspace. [...]
Very little other information is provided, meaning it’s not clear exactly what kind of design work has been accomplished so far or who the responsible design authority is. It could be that the design has been finalized, but that the podded boom exists still so far only as a ‘paper project.’ [...] There are only a few clues about what kind of aircraft the podded boom is intended to be carried by and these are somewhat contradictory, at first sight. The Budget Estimates document describes the pod as being intended for “future Mobility applications,” which suggests that it will be used by (manned) transport aircraft or derivatives of them.
Schneemann