Towards automation of aerial refuelling manoeuvres with the probe-and-drogue system: modelling and simulation

Fezans, Nicolas; Jann, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.trpro.2018.02.011

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The resulting information is then fused into the UA’s GNC to maneuver the probe tip of the UA into the coupler portion of the drogue attached to the tanking aircraft. In many cases, their capabilities have been tested through modeling [ 93 , 94 ]; scaled physical experiments [ 95 ]; and field experiments that utilize robots, ground vehicles, and other equipment to demonstrate the core technologies involved in A3R at a much lower cost.…”

Section: Review Of Sensor Requirements For A3rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Sensor Technology to Support Automated Air-to-Air Refueling of a Probe Configured Uncrewed Aircraft

Parry

Hubbard

2023

Sensors

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As technologies advance and applications for uncrewed aircraft increase, the capability to conduct automated air-to-air refueling becomes increasingly important. This paper provides a review of required sensors to enable automated air-to-air refueling for an uncrewed aircraft, as well as a review of published research on the topic. Automated air-to-air refueling of uncrewed aircraft eliminates the need for ground infrastructure for intermediate refueling, as well as the need for on-site personnel. Automated air-to-air refueling potentially supports civilian applications such as weather monitoring, surveillance for wildfires, search and rescue, and emergency response, especially when airfields are not available due to natural disasters. For military applications, to enable the Air Wing of the Future to strike at the ranges required for the mission, both crewed and uncrewed aircraft must be capable of air-to-air refueling. To cover the sensors required to complete automated air-to-air refueling, a brief history of air-to-air refueling is presented, followed by a concept of employment for uncrewed aircraft refueling, and finally, a review of the sensors required to complete the different phases of automated air-to-air refueling. To complete uncrewed aircraft refueling, the uncrewed receiver aircraft must have the sensors required to establish communication, determine relative position, decrease separation to astern position, transition to computer vision, position keep during refueling, and separate from the tanker aircraft upon completion of refueling. This paper provides a review of the twelve sensors that would enable the uncrewed aircraft to complete the seven tasks required for automated air-to-air refueling.

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Section: Review Of Sensor Requirements For A3rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Sensor Technology to Support Automated Air-to-Air Refueling of a Probe Configured Uncrewed Aircraft

Parry

Hubbard

2023

Sensors

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“…Efforts were initiated within the DLR project LUBETA, described in Ref. 16. This project focused only on fixed-wing aircraft, with a sophisticated model of the tanker, receiver, refuelling system and aerodynamic interference.…”

Section: Scope Of Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The hose, drogue and probe elements are modelled as a coupled multi-body system used in Ref. 16. This refuelling model is not yet included in the real-time HAAR simulation but utilised to determine manoeuver relevant positions.…”

Section: Simulation Development 31 Scenario Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a real-time simulation environment for helicopter air-to-air refuelling investigations

2023

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The ability to perform air-to-air refuelling (AAR) can dramatically extend the utility of helicopters, through effectively providing unlimited range. For helicopters, AAR is typically performed utilising the probe-and-drogue aerial refuelling method. This is a complex manoeuver, where normally both the helicopter and tanker aircraft are operating at the limits of their flight envelopes. In addition, the wake flow from the tanker aircraft can cause a significant disturbance on the refuelling helicopter. This paper presents the initial evaluation of an AAR scenario constructed within DLR’s flight simulator, the Air Vehicle Simulator (AVES), based on current procedures and pilot interviews. A mission task was defined to assess the scenario in AVES and results are subsequently discussed. For pilots unfamiliar to formation flight or HAAR, the results show the difficulty of the flying task itself at the given cueing. Measures for improvement in future investigations are suggested.

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“…[10][11][12][13][14][15] Despite the interest thus generated, unresolved practical matters, such as safety, reliability, all-weather capability and close formation flying, have so far hindered the realisation of AAR within civil aviation. Autonomous aerial refuelling practices are discussed by Bowers 16 and Fezans and Jann, 17 whilst Refs. 18,19 examine some of the complexities of unmanned aerial vehicle refuelling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The payload-range performance of a multirole tanker transporter aircraft accounting for towline (on-station refuelling) and trail (strategic deployment) missions

Bardell

2021

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G:

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This article has arisen from a general investigation into the payload-range envelope of a multirole-tanker transport aircraft and how this envelope is modified as a result of the tanker’s refuelling activities. To this end, the Breguet range equation is used in conjunction with a simple fuel budget to model different scenarios in which the tanker aircraft can perform towline or trail missions. For the common radius of action case, a closed-form solution is obtained for the payload-range variation; for instances where the outbound journey and the return journey are of unequal lengths, the governing equation is found to require a numerical solution. The act of dispensing a significant quantity of fuel whilst some distance into a flight can have a dramatic impact on the tanker’s overall range and payload capability. An assessment of this payload-range modification needs to be made prior to commencing the flight to ensure the mission can safely be accomplished, which provides the motivation for the current work. Three case studies are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the method, and comparisons with published data show strong agreement. This model will be of use to planners wishing to investigate typical ‘ what if?’ scenarios on the overall mission.

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Towards automation of aerial refuelling manoeuvres with the probe-and-drogue system: modelling and simulation

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

Review of Sensor Technology to Support Automated Air-to-Air Refueling of a Probe Configured Uncrewed Aircraft

Review of Sensor Technology to Support Automated Air-to-Air Refueling of a Probe Configured Uncrewed Aircraft

Evaluation of a real-time simulation environment for helicopter air-to-air refuelling investigations

The payload-range performance of a multirole tanker transporter aircraft accounting for towline (on-station refuelling) and trail (strategic deployment) missions

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