The US Military's Aerial Refueling PROBLEM

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0:00 How long can a fighter jet fly for without aerial refueling?
2:33 Why was the flying boom developed?
3:44 KC-97 Stratofreighter's major flaw
4:51 Aerial refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker
7:32 why aircraft have a refueling slipway
8:19 War Thunder (sponsor)
9:16 Refueling stealth aircraft in the air
10:29 What happens if aerial refueling boom or hose cannot be retracted
10:49 The downside of the KC-135 Stratotanker
11:04 The Boom Drogue Adapter (BDA)
12:05 The limitations of the Boom Drogue Adapter
Why the US Navy uses its most sophisticated fighter jets fuel other aircraft, how aerial refueling can help airplanes save on fuel and carry more payload, what made the F-4 Phantom notoriously difficult to mate with, and finally, how using a slower fuel transfer method can in fact speed up the refueling process, is #NotWhatYouThink #NWYT #longs
Music:
Universal Solution - Robert Ruth
Yhello - Lofive
Parkour Law - Truvio
The Showroom - V.V. Campos
Amalthea - Van Sandano
Flightmode - Chris Shards
Skipping Class - Birdies
Cloak - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Break Down - Phoenix Tail
Composite Key - DEX 1200
Thyone - Ben Elson
Montage of a Map - Eden Avery
Beyond the Mountains - Experia
On the Trail - Tigerblood Jewel
Linda Low - Lucention
Footage:
Select images/videos from Getty Images
Shutterstock
US Department of Defense
Note: "The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Play War Thunder for FREE on PC, Playstation and Xbox. Click the link to download the game and get your exclusive bonus now: playwt.link/notwhatyouthink2024

[@LaggySoupDealer]

vid about war thunder military leaks?

[@skoldmo762]

Vid about Gajin sponsors Donbas seperatists? ​@@LaggySoupDealer

[@LordBobeus-to9yz]

its not really a limited time offer, war thunder sponsors youtubers so often that you can find this offer for every day of the year

[@VGACGAEGA]

Best segue ever

[@dedwoodgaming6119]

dont you will regret playing it

[@PonyK98]

Kid: Dad. What are those two planes doing together? Dad: They are mating son

[@benstokes69]

😂😂

[@cruisinguy6024]

I definitely read the dad in a Hank Hill voice

[@lweberk]

That's how airplanes are made, son

[@Michael_Brock]

Btw I did see 3 planes in serial formation drogue formation.

[@seansingh4421]

@@Michael_Brocksometimes planes experiment with other planes son to keep the “fire” going

[@OrionArmwrestling]

"A boomer, laying on their belly, passing gas." - Not What You Think

[@bgold2007]

Like the first gals smile

[@unrealzman68]

This line killed me 😂

[@bigblue6917]

If that's what they do then I think we could all qualify for that job. Just remember you're a confined space so nothing too spicy

[@Richtshn06]

This!!!!!!😂😂😂😂😂

[@therealdohos2607]

I Laughed out loud when u inserted the warthunder sponsor after the hourly price of the simulator

[@muhazreen]

Either losing money to refuel those jet, of losing to the snail 😂

[@z0phi3l]

Warthunder needs a mod to practice in air refueling !!!

[@user-gu8qi4me8x]

I actually agree ​@@z0phi3l

[@diadromes8000]

@@z0phi3l vtol vr does... as the craft being refueled

[@abc-coleaks-info3180]

If the “birdie” is old, bent or slightly damaged the damn thing will often oscillate in a figure eight pattern requiring the Naval Pilot to split the difference and aim for where it will be when he gets there.

[@trumanhw]

On booms, the camera should be near // on the control surfaces, significantly closer to the receptical, allowing far more precise control & viewing.

[@bigblue6917]

"If the “birdie” is old, bent or slightly damaged the damn thing will often oscillate in a figure eight pattern" Happens to the best of us.

[@fuzzybloodpc9291]

9:54 I thought that was a still image!!

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Yeah I know!

[@stalincat2457]

It wasn't what you thought eh?

[@taesssi]

lmao "Incase a tanker gets too excited and cannot retract the boom....." - NWYT

[@WhiteCoastRS]

NWYT? more like NSFW

[@SwordOfApollo]

"If your boom extension lasts longer than 4 hours, seek medical attention."

[@WhiteCoastRS]

@@SwordOfApollo BRO WHATS THE TIMESTAMP HAHA

[@anotherbacklog]

Now thanks to this video I can never look at aerial refueling the same way again

[@davidemartorana4708]

Sex bots really like videos on military Aviation, Who would have thought

[@Ilix42]

It's all the aerial mating. Really gets them going.

[@anotherbacklog]

Extra kinky

[@muhazreen]

😂

[@Kenny-yl9pc]

what is a sex bot?

[@SpaceMonkeyBoi]

​@@Kenny-yl9pc it's a robot designed by the US government to combat the declining birthrate. It breaks into people's homes and abducts people's fathers to use them for reproduction. It's why so many kids these days grow up without a father.

[@carlsoll]

9:55 Woahh O.O *that* was a video :o

[@muhazreen]

Thanks for pointing it😂

[@Tobinator7274]

was thinking the same thing lol

[@skenzyme81]

That thumbnail reminds me of my first *"aerial refueling"* in middle school history. Thanks Miss Blom! You'll always be twenty-two in my dreams.

[@opprox]

😋 22?????

[@CapSora]

AYO??

[@chugachuga9242]

Middle School?? 💀💀

[@Snoopsthecat]

what

[@michaelmckeever2734]

I lost count of the number of ARs I've done. One time, over Maine on our way to a deployment, we disconnected from the KC-135 about 6-9 times because our orbit was over a thunderstorm and we couldn't maintain contact. Quite literally the most stressful AR ever.

[@centralplains7608]

Thank you for a MOST comprehensive overview of the aerial refueling subject! As usual, your vids lead to a greater understanding of aviation and various systems. Plz keep up the GREAT WORK!!

[@curiousmindshubofficial]

Super informative video! It’s amazing to understand just how critical in-flight refueling is for maintaining the operational range and effectiveness of fighter jets. Your breakdown of the process and its importance was perfectly clear. Thanks for shedding light on such a pivotal aspect of modern air combat!

[@flightmaster999]

Too bad the KC-46 can't do half of what it is designed for because Boeing used the wrong kind of (black and white) camera on them. Should have bought the MRTT instead, which is just better in every way, not to mention that is actually works.

[@fidjeenjanrjsnsfh]

"It's a game changer" because the camera fogs up half the time.

[@iskandartaib]

Thanks, this was a great deal more informative than I thought it would be. Learned quite a bit.

[@cagin5]

Gasped at 19:14 seeing that NATO AWACS almost bump into the tanker!

[@indyjons321]

Fantastic video! Answered all the questions I had about tankers.

[@VincentGirod]

Always instructive and fun !

[@koryhardy9594]

30mins trying to stable 2 aircraft for refueling is just insane work 🤯

[@unironicaluser1867]

yea i couldnt mate for 30 mins either

[@johnsmithe4656]

@@unironicaluser1867 I can go for like an hour.

[@user-gu8qi4me8x]

​@@johnsmithe4656wtf

[@Ice_Karma]

Always great videos! BTW, in 'scarce' and 'scarcity', the first syllable sounds like 'scare', rather than 'scar'. ♥😻

[@capitandelespacio]

I remember how hard was trying to refuel in-flight my F-14 Tomcat.... (in the NES version of Top Gun).

[@ThorsonWiles]

From what I've heard about the KC-46, when the receiver is backlit, meaning the sun is close to being directly being the receiver, the digital camera's have an issue with even seeing the receiver aircraft, let alone where the boom needs to be flown into. (In my experience, in life, not anything related to this, the mark 1 usually has an advantage over tech. Meaning the eyeball in the rear vs. the camera provided image in the front.)

[@bobgreene2892]

Well-organized and clearly presented We thought we already knew the "basics", until we saw this video.

[@northropi2027]

hey, i've been to that KC-97. it's at March Field, they also have a YA-9 there.

[@jamiebray8532]

Man i love watching your videos. It seems like forever waiting for a new video to drop. I start going through dt convulsions and stuff. 😂😂😂😂

[@No1DiscoveryTV]

For the past 100 years air-to-air refuelling has been the exclusive preserve of military aviation to project power across the globe

[@johnsmithe4656]

Yummy.

[@gregparrott]

While inflight refueling saves gas, I very much doubt it saves money. An airline: -) Must buy and maintain a fleet of tankers, as well as train boom operators. -) The pilots of the passenger/freighter aircraft have to be trained/qualified for inflight docking -) Airports en route would have to be schedule for the possibility of an unscheduled landing because weather, malfunctions, etc, prevented the inflight refueling. -) Here's the kicker......LIABILITY...Imagine weather or operator error causing a collision, killing hundreds and the loss of two aircraft.

[@notmenotme614]

Another thing with drogue refuelling is sometimes the drogue can shear off, leaving it attached to the receiver aircraft. Which made their landing interesting when it still had the basket and a few meters of pipe attached. We’ve also experienced the drogue wafting around in turbulence and hitting the pitot probes, causing the receiver aircraft to abort. Having said that, the drogue method has been used for decades on 1000s of sorties. I remember reading the book Flight Of The Intruder, which said A-6’s fitted with a buddy refuelling pod were crucial to helping those who struggled to land on an aircraft carrier. If they struggled to get down and did many bolters, they’d send up the standby refueller to save them before they ran out of fuel.

[@jordibt1789]

Damn, NWYT has that Big Altima Energy

[@fyrebatskymarshall1778]

that ad transistion was mint

[@misanthropicphilanthropy]

I'm loving the "sex puns" and fart jokes 😂 (passing gas)😂

[@ChookyChuck]

At 21:46 there is an omega aircraft refueling a drone. In the mid 1990's I designed the 707 fuel system modifications for the 1st Omega Tanker. Omega contracted AEL/Tracor to modify one of there 707 Aircraft to be a hose and drogue tanker. The fuel system modifications installed two large Aerial Refueling pumps in the wing belly tanks. These pumps were connected with 4 inch diameter fuel lines to 2 removable pallets. Each pallet contained an FR300 hydraulic hose reel systems. These pallets where part of the B-kit and were designed to be removed from the aircraft in about an hour. With a removable Air Refueling B-Kit the Aircraft could perform either civilien or aerial refueling missions. The Aircraft had two hose reels for redundancy so that ocean crossing could be performed safely with only one tanker. It could deliver over 500 gallons per minute which was the highest flow rate for a 2 5/8 inch Inner Diameter Hose and Drogue system at the time. I have not kept up with what improvements were made to the Omega system over the years. It would be interesting to see how they are using it today.

[@lukevaxhacker7762]

Does beg the question: Why is the KC-10 *retiring* while the older design KC-135 *still flying*?!

[@muhazreen]

I wondering too, why retired the best of the best among the best that proven the best already

[@zsu-23-4shilka2]

The D/KC-10 has a rather poor safety history.

[@fidjeenjanrjsnsfh]

Apparently, it's a numbers game. Retiring the 60 KC-10 is cheaper in the long run than splitting the number between the two airframes. Which kind of makes sense.

[@xxxotiknightz]

It has nothing to do with safety. I flew on the 10 as a boom for years. It’s a game of averages and numbers. The AF brass determined that the average offload was ~63k lbs. Which is well within the 135 and 46 capabilities. They decided more aircraft was better rather than more capabilities.

[@jaquigreenlees]

the 135 is the only option to refuel helicopters, the jet powered options wind up at or barely above stall speed if they try to refuel a helicopter.

[@larrybremer4930]

The hardest part of refueling (bombers in particular) is the tanker gets lighter while the receiving aircraft gets heavier so its a constant battle to stay in the box since the tanker will get faster and you get slower thus it's a constant battle to stay in the box with the thrust and alpha changes needed while taking on fuel. Also air force tankers can carry wing reels with probe and drogue so they can refuel either method (drogue or boom) in the same mission. One advantage of this configuration is being able to refuel two probe type aircraft at the same time.

[@generybarczyk6993]

Good one. Flares!

[@scribehades]

That BOOM ENGAGED indicator light would be awesome for a sound engineering board

[@dave.g.nowitzki4897]

great vid ! i would love to know what all those markings on the planes mean like the one in 7:04 for the slip

[@stevengmarcus]

Crown royal bag for a chin pad is a nice touch

[@pathos48]

I have been wondering what that rotating hatch on B2 were. Finally I know!

[@bigblue6917]

One of the capabilities of the de Havilland Sea Vixen used by the Royal Navy was to refuel other Sea Vixen's and that was back in the 60s

[@TAR3N]

I always thought this was the most boring part of aviation…. And you made it fascinating ! Thank you 🙏 It’s not what you think!

[@TYZ-Foodie68]

It’s a good one !!

[@ObiWanCannabi]

ever tried air to air refuelling on DCS world... it took me more than 45 minutes

[@stevenlauzon7031]

Digging the Crown Royal chin rest

[@Michael_Brock]

Awesome video

[@irrelEvant5352]

0:56 i bet that took you a couple tries to say with a straight voice 😂 Peak humor right there

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Hehe you’re not wrong there 😅

[@NSJonesy94]

Hahaha, Crown Royal bag for the chin rest @5:11

[@julianp2868]

Very interesting

[@larrydugan1441]

Really good video. On a trans oceanic flight with fighters the fighters always have to have sufficient fuel on board to proceed to an alternate should the refueling system fail. This can mean many top ups en route. It is not just a matter of waiting until your fighter is low on fuel. On a long flight with a lot of turbulence this can be quite a bit of work.

[@uss_liberty_incident]

Funny how War Thunder teaches how vital fuel management is in a modern, afterburning fighter. IE, the F-14 GUZZLES fuel at full A/B.

[@counterfit5]

Everything guzzles fuel in full A/B

[@piscessoedroen]

@@counterfit5 there's guzzling fuel, and then there's dumping the whole tank into the engine. F-14 is the latter

[@trumanhw]

The camera should be near // on the boom's control surfaces, significantly closer, allowing far more precise control and viewing.

[@tweezerjam]

Very cool. What about how they match speeds?

[@jamesvespucci5527]

"You could get whipped by those hose" sent me when I heard it, and made me laugh hard enough to scare my cat when I looked at the screen

[@BosonCollider]

8:15 Okay, that was the smoothest ad transition I have seen ever, you deserve every cent of ad money for that and this is not something I say often

[@muhazreen]

Either Losing dollar to refueling or to those pesky snail😂

[@ethimself5064]

I thought I remembered your voice on the previous vid I just watched. 👍 - 👍

[@mrbharathkiran.1508]

Love your video quality and content

[@stevewilley1029]

the Air Force was short sighted when it did start equipping all KC 135 tankers with MPRS when they became available. I had to install many drogue adapters in my career as a crew chief.

[@Orange_the_furry]

and that is how planes are made educational content (and excited planes)

[@flickingbollocks5542]

How do the dtogue actually hook onto the probes?

[@EdwardSnowden125]

7:00 why don't they set up a system where after the boom is engaged both the aircraft get controlled by the pilot of the tanker(with difference in sensitivities ofc) would that not help?

[@oceanmariner]

During the Vietnam War refueling booms were used to tow damaged aircraft returning from North Vietnam to their bases in the south.

[@busboy262]

I can't imagine what just the pivot on that adapter costs. I bet the cost of the adapter is high, but that knuckle probably accounts for more than half of that cost.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

2:53 - Im guessing some Navy pilots also need more flight/seat time to their name so it looks better on paper should they want to transfer elsewhere within the military or outside of it as maybe a civilian pilot etc etc.

[@adversopodcast]

Awesome!!! 😃👍

[@geetargeek79]

VFA-115 here during the period mentioned. I can say that refueling missions weren't the favorite. They were very long missions just for the pilot to be a flying gas station. Unlike those big AF tankers, the Super Hornets aren't as comfortable either. It isn't like the pilot could stand up to take a leak. But don't get me wrong because they can, just not standing up. 😂

[@h8GW]

It's wild how the B-2 refueling door just disappears into the fuselage skin when closed.

[@ilaril]

The KC-46's new system is anything but good. Maybe one day.

[@Vmaxfodder]

This cone needs to have its own stabilizing wings

[@Dekhti-ankh]

Here we are, listening damn jokes from my boy

[@counterfit5]

I will as hoping to see the Sea King chopping off its own probe, and there it is at 19:41

[@Bruno74823..]

The bots kinda love military refueling i guess not gonna judge them i also enjoy whatching planes refuel

[@gehaofeiphpps8891]

magnet to help with linking?

[@Finn_given]

He really likes mentioning the iron dome project in every video

[@ScotchBonnetHand_]

I did not see that War Thunder promo coming 😂

[@ronaldoc5637]

The Embraer KC-390 may fill that gap...

[@lowercasegamer]

Slight title mistake. I think it should be Standardized not Standardize ( If he changes title ignore comment)

[@viewer-of-content]

He has an accent I think. In 2x it sounded correct

[@Rotorhead1651]

You are correct. Grammatically, it should be "standardized".

[@muhazreen]

Grammar MP

[@user-gu8qi4me8x]

​@@muhazreenl actually agree with you.

[@PvtPartzz]

Wait why are we retiring the newest tanker before the older ones?

[@michaelm54877]

When a tanker loves a B-2 bomber very much... and that is how F-16's are born.

[@user-ue6zx2do2f]

And airbus boom can refuel automatically

[@nekomakhea9440]

Wouldn't the C-2's be better refueling planes for carriers than F-18's? They would have much larger fuel capacity, and could carry extra fuel bags in their cargo bay. Also, they're turboprops, so they could probably go slow enough to refuel any helicopters or tiltrotors in the carrier's fleet. And you wouldn't need to procure new fuel drones, just use what you already have in a different way.

[@czaja995]

C-2 is propeller aircraft, it's too slow for refueling fighter jets.

[@abc-coleaks-info3180]

The C2 is being phased out for the Osprey. They do have a setup for refueling from the Osprey but jet refueling is limited by minimum flight speed.

[@SkyhawkSteve]

@@czaja995 if the KC-130 isn't too slow, then it's not clear why the C-2 would be too slow.

[@whatever_12]

What happened at 19:10? Did the plane hit sudden turbulence for it to rise or something else.. Did nato released details about the cause?

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Look this up on KZbin: “Aerial refueling accidents examined” We discuss the E-3 early on in the video.

[@aCycloneSteve]

Would the V-22 with a VARS refueling prob refuel a helicopter?

[@libertarian1637]

F-15EX can fly from US to UK without mid-air refueling. At 45 minutes the pilot must have been for an F-16. It’s quite standardized, US Air Force - Boom; Navy/USMC - drogue, ALL helicopters - drogue. The US military is represented by multiple branches with different needs; a one size fits all approach sometimes isn’t the best for all.

[@XxDramaticBatu]

That name is not a mistake. F-1SEX

[@LSmoney215]

I think they talking about combat conditions

[@Dog_Toy.]

You knew what you were doing with that thumbnail.

[@e_norrby]

10:22 Correct me if i am wrong, but is that not a F-35B?

[@mr_gaider6174]

I think that boom is better for bigger aircraft and probe and drogue for the smaller aircraft like a fighter.

[@gideoncornfield4732]

That was a perfect add intro. I have pain thunder I play my ace p61 from time to time. Do you know the reason for flares after refueling? Is it just a sex joke?

[@johannes7185]

Why are they retiring the newer kc10 and still flying the older KC 135?

[@rael5469]

17:48 Tell me that beard isn't within 35.10. What happened to my Air Force?????

[@hubblehosting8862]

It is me? Or does the boom operator at 6:06 look just like actor Zoë Yadira Saldaña form "Gaurdians of the Galaxy" & "Avatar"? Or maybe it's "Not What You Think". Lol.

[@bgold2007]

Boom too excited to retract,!

[@Mr.Manta5988]

How many times have you changed the thumbnail by now?

[@Vanator-qw6xw]

13:17 what aircraft is that?

[@flora_7719]

You've heard of two trucks... Now get ready for two planes

[@kartiksaxena152]

the title literally changed while i was watching wtf when i started watching it was " why the us airforce has two refueling methods " and when i clicked off its now " how aerial gas stations work "

[@user-gu8qi4me8x]

I actually genuinely agree with you.

[@fobbitoperator3620]

In the thumbnail picture, I do believe that I see somebody is handing the pilot a GIANT shuttlecock. I think the fvck'n chem-trails are finally starting to effect me....

[@scottmeredith3359]

Must be harrowing to have that big hose waving around in your face, knowing it could erupt and spray at any moment

[@jjfdkdjiwejnd092]

"it's okay if you can't get it up Mr plane, it happens to all of us as we get older"

[@west8772]

Damn I kinda ignored this video but after the change in title and thumbnail it worked insanely well LMFAO

[@michaelm54877]

The hard part when fighting a near peer foe will be the protection of tankers. The new steathy drone tankers should help though.