The NASA Dryden AAR Project: A Flight Test Approach to an Aerial Refueling System

TLDR

The integration of UAVs into controlled airspace has ushered in a new era of autonomous technologies and challenges, and autonomous aerial refueling would enable these aircraft to travel farther and loiter longer over time‑critical targets. The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center completed a flight research project to develop a dynamic hose and drogue system model that supports automated aerial refueling. The study built a systematic dynamic model of the hose and drogue system, incorporating effects of flight conditions, hose/drogue type, tanker and receiver characteristics, and maneuvering, and collected flight‑research data using two F/A‑18 aircraft and a Navy hose and drogue store to document system responses. Preliminary results reveal salient trends and important lessons about the hose and drogue system’s behavior.

Abstract

The integration of uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) into controlled airspace has generated a new era of autonomous technologies and challenges. Autonomous aerial refueling would enable UAVs to travel further distances and loiter for extended periods over time-critical targets. The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center recently has completed a flight research project directed at developing a dynamic hose and drogue system model to support the development of an automated aerial refueling system. A systematic dynamic model of the hose and drogue system would include the effects of various influences on the system, such as flight condition, hose and drogue type, tanker type and weight, receiver type, and tanker and receiver maneuvering. Using two NASA F/A-18 aircraft and a conventional hose and drogue aerial refueling store from the Navy, NASA has obtained flight research data that document the response of the hose and drogue system to these effects. Preliminary results, salient trends, and important lessons are presented.