In Flight Refuelling

[Guest Grum]

Looking at the RAF repaints for the Aerosim Tristar, and thinking back to the last Gulf War a couple of questions arroused my curiosity:1) What problems, if any, arise from using tanker aircraft from 'somebody else's airforce?'2) Since one of the aircraft re-paints was of an aircraft previously owned by PAN AM , would such a sale have been classed as an overseas arms sale, or just a normal aircraft sale?Just having a curiosity attack!!!Grum

[KevinAu 441]

1. May 2005 issue of Air Forces Monthly contains an article on RAF VC10 operations in the Gulf.2. Those were probably not FMS, but rather commercial sales with State Department clearances.

[Guest]

>1) What problems, if any, arise from using tanker aircraft>from 'somebody else's airforce?'>If both use the same system (hose&drogue or boom&receptor), the only problems are organisational (where to send the bill, more or less).If they use different systems, it's impossible.The US uses both systems on different aircraft types, therefore (most of) their tankers can perform both styles of refueling either with field modifications or even simultaneously.>2) Since one of the aircraft re-paints was of an aircraft>previously owned by PAN AM , would such a sale have been>classed as an overseas arms sale, or just a normal aircraft>sale?>If the aircraft were modified as a tanker before being sold, possibly (depends on the exact letter of the law, which I don't know).But usually aircraft are sold in their original transport configuration and modified locally (or sent away to a 3rd party for modification after purchase).

[Guest Grum]

Thanks guys!Grum