For the first time, the US Air Force conducted tests of the KC-135 Stratotanker tanker aircraft with "hot" refueling on the ground. According to Flightglobal, the inspections took place in September last year at the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar and were considered successful.
"Hot" is called refueling at the airport, in which one of the engines of the aircraft continues to work. Thanks to this, the aircraft spends less time on the ground between flights. This approach is practiced in relation to fighters, but in transport and refueling and aviation is not common.
Normally, the KC-135 must completely stop the engines before refueling on the ground, connect to ground power systems, complete a full cycle of technical inspections and inspections, as well as refueling and pre-flight training. This takes about four hours.
How much" hot " refueling can reduce this time is not specified. However, the military announced that it took much less time to refuel the plane. During the tests, the first KC-135 engine continued to operate, providing the aircraft with energy, as well as compressed air to start the remaining engines.
The KC-135 has been in service with the U.S. Air Force since 1957. In September 2020, there was the first "hot" refueling in the history of the aircraft. The tests were completely successful, and the military decided to extend this approach. On January 8, 2021, the second "hot" refueling of KC-135 was carried out at Mildenhall Air Base in the UK.
Vasily Sychev
