"Lifeblood"
Gerald GroßShare
One problem plagues all combat aircraft equally: they already have too little fuel when the engines start. Although the EUROFIGHTER is almost completely filled with kerosene and therefore carries around 5 tons of fuel internally, tanker aircraft are a necessary high-value resource for almost every operation. The Air Force uses A400Ms with refueling equipment and multinational A330MRTTs. In addition, aircraft from other NATO nations are available. Since refueling with the so-called Probe and Drogue System is one of the most demanding maneuvers in aviation, it is practiced several times a week as part of daily training flights - after all, the "contact" has to be successful day and night, as well as in bad weather conditions. Should something go wrong, the refueling booms have a predetermined breaking point. The sheared head remains locked in the basket and can be carried safely by the tanker until it lands. Safety valves prevent uncontrolled leakage of fuel at the damaged area and any residual fuel that has escaped evaporates before it reaches the ground. Keyword fuel: The Air Force is not quite as “old school” as the soundtrack suggests: the use of renewable fuels, so-called “Sustainable Aviation Fuels” (SAF), has been being tested for a long time.
