View allAll Photos Tagged Refuel
Catalog #: 00486
Subject: The Flying Tigers - China
Title: Refueling
Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
A hoverfly feeding from a flower. A common sight, but one that always reminds me of good old British summers. I'd love to get a decent shot of one of these in flight, but alas they always see me coming and move! Taken through my trusty reversed 50mm Pentax on tubes at f14.
Zwicky ad with a RAF AEC refueller fitted with Zwicky pumping gear,filling up a Short Stirling bomber
I didn't see any tankers parked here maybe because it was 1:30am? Would've been nice if one was in the shot though. Just wishful thinking I suppose. I had to slide my lens pass a metal fence to grab this one. In the process I managed to leave a few scrape marks on the 70-200mm VR. Another battle wound added to this stellar lens. =)
Lighting was tough as usual with those really yellow lights they use. Had to fiddle in CS2 to balance things out and make it more neutral. Still the scene is a little more contrasty that I would've liked.
Best viewed LARGE.
On June 28, Goddard hosted a Media/VIP/Employee Day to explain the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) payload onboard STS-135. The joint effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency is designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies, and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space. Reporters were also provided an in depth look into how Goddard has provided the communications network for voice, data and video support throughout the shuttle program.
In this photo Scott Greatorex, Networks Integration Management Office, explains to reporters how Goddard has provided communication support for every shuttle mission.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Pat Izzo
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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A bee resting in the sunshine on our lawn, taking a bit of honey. Used an old Olympus OM 50mm 1.8 on adaptor with a +3 closeup lens
Between the fifth and seventh of February there were communal riots in Nzérékoré. Four dead, one disappeared, and seventy-three injured of which thirteen soldiers. The murders were gruesome; a man tied up and burnt alive, a woman whose throat was slit and a man hacked to death and dumped into a well. A team from the UN flew in on Wednesday to work with UN colleagues and local actors to see what needs to be done to prevent a repetition. As we waited on the dirt strip to fly back to Conakry children were playing volleyball.
Entre le 5 et le 7 février il y a eu des émeutes a Nzérékoré. Quatre morts, un disparu et soixante-treize blessés dont treize militaires. Les meurtres étaient grotesques ; un homme ligoté et brulé, un autre découpé a la machette et jeté dans un puis une femme égorgée. Une équipe de l’ONU est venu de Conakry pour travailler avec les collègues sur place, les autorités et des ONG locaux pour voir comment éviter un retour a la violence. Au retour pendant que nous attendions le vol pour Conakry les enfant jouaient au volleyball.
Sgt. David Sullivan, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, signals pilots to let them know their helicopter has been refueled, Aug. 14, 2013, on Smith Army Airfield on Fort Bragg, N.C. Sullivan and members of his unit's water and fuel platoon fueled aircraft for the first time during joint Forward Area Refueling Point training conducted with paratroopers from 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mary S. Katzenberger)
Spc. Juan A. Espinoza, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, checks fuel levels through the top hatch of a fuel truck, Aug. 14, 2013, on Smith Army Airfield on Fort Bragg, N.C. Espinoza and members of his platoon fueled aircraft for the first time during joint Forward Area Refueling Point training conducted with paratroopers from 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mary S. Katzenberger)
In the Mediterranean in April 1981, HMS Ardent (F184) is seen conducting an underway replenishment using the dated (and very slow) technique of refuelling astern of the tanker, rather than the more modern (and efficient) alongside technique.
This was to exercise the crews of both the tanker and the frigate in this alternate method.
Photo taken from aboard RFA Tidepool as both ships returned from the first full Operation Armilla deployment.
G-OCCG is a Diamond DA40D Diamond Star aircraft.
refuelling at Brighton City (Shoreham by Sea) Airport.
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Warner Robins, Ga., June 12, 2012 - Air National Guard Lt. Col. Christopher, 116th Operations Support Squadron, flies the E-8 Joint STARS in position to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker. The inflight refueling procedure was conducted during a mission supporting exercise Iron Dagger 2012. (National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Roger Parsons/Released)
Boise Helitack's UH-60 Blackhawk refueling in Stanley, ID.
Boise Helitack is a 24-person Bureau of Land Management crew that operates with a Sikorsky UH-60 Helicopter.
Boise BLM Helitack performs suppression and support operations on initial attack, extended attack, and large fire support. They place a high degree of emphasis on professionalism and physical fitness.
They provide a versatile, service-oriented, low-maintenance, highly skilled initial attack program that can provide ICS overhead on emerging incidents, or effectively integrate into existing ones.
Photo by Joe Ritz, BLM
A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 507th Air Refueling Wing, Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma refuels A-10 Thunderbolt II’s from the 124th Fighter Wing, Idaho Air National Guard over Mountain Home, Idaho, July 8, 2021. The 507th ARW visited Idaho to refuel the 190th Fighter Squadron’s A-10’s during routine training. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Mercedee Wilds)
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (Nov. 10, 2016) - An HH-60 Pave Hawk from the 33rd Rescue Squadron hoists up a pararescueman from the 31st RS and simulated survivors during Exercise Keen Sword 17 near Okinawa. Japan Air Self-Defense Force and 31st RS pararescuemen parachuted into the ocean to rescue simulated survivors on a life raft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Corey M. Pettis)
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Discovery STO - 70 Ton, Single Stage to Orbit Fixed Wing Aircraft - Space Plane - Hypersonic Plane, U-TBCC / Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle & Aerospike
Iteration 1, Mach 8-10 in amtmosphere, 195ft long, Heavy Lift Single Stage To Orbit Fixed Wing Aircraft. 70 TONS, ie 140,000 LBS, 60 ft X 15ft X 15ft payload bay. Up in the Falcon Heavy and Delta IV class, except not $400 million to launch giant payloads into orbit, but below $250 per lbs, or about $28 million to launch giant payloads, and normalized orbital flight, as normal as a 737 commercial flight. Load up, refuel, take off in an afternoon. I estimate this aircraft would cost about $750 million each for space capable. In atmosphere commercial, roughly $300 million each for a 200 passenger M8-10 (not designed yet)
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www.ioaircraft.com/hypersonic/ranger.php
Drew Blair
www.linkedin.com/in/drew-b-25485312/
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Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle. Current technologies and what Lockheed is trying to force on the Dept of Defense, for that low speed Mach 5 plane DOD gave them $1 billion to build and would disintegrate above Mach 5, is TBCC. 2 separate propulsion systems in the same airframe, which requires TWICE the airframe space to use.
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle is 1 propulsion system cutting that airframe deficit in half, and also able to operate above Mach 10 up to Mach 15 in atmosphere, and a simple nozzle modification allows for outside atmosphere rocket mode, ie orbital capable.
Additionally, Reaction Engines maximum air breather mode is Mach 4.5, above that it will explode in flight from internal pressures are too high to operate. Thus, must switch to non air breather rocket mode to operate in atmosphere in hypersonic velocities. Which as a result, makes it not feasible for anything practical. It also takes an immense amount of fuel to function.
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Advanced Additive Manufacturing for Hypersonic Aircraft
Utilizing new methods of fabrication and construction, make it possible to use additive manufacturing, dramatically reducing the time and costs of producing hypersonic platforms from missiles, aircraft, and space capable craft. Instead of aircraft being produced in piece, then bolted together; small platforms can be produced as a single unit and large platforms can be produces in large section and mated without bolting. These techniques include using exotic materials and advanced assembly processes, with an end result of streamlining the production costs and time for hypersonic aircraft; reducing months of assembly to weeks. Overall, this process greatly reduced the cost for producing hypersonic platforms. Even to such an extent that a Hellfire missile costs apx $100,000 but by utilizing our technologies, replacing it with a Mach 8-10 hypersonic missile of our physics/engineering and that missile would cost roughly $75,000 each delivered.
Materials used for these manufacturing processes are not disclosed, but overall, provides a foundation for extremely high stresses and thermodynamics, ideal for hypersonic platforms. This specific methodology and materials applications is many decades ahead of all known programs. Even to the extend of normalized space flight and re-entry, without concern of thermodynamic failure.
*Note, most entities that are experimenting with additive manufacturing for hypersonic aircraft, this makes it mainstream and standardized processes, which also applies for mass production.
What would normally be measured in years and perhaps a decade to go from drawing board to test flights, is reduced to singular months and ready for production within a year maximum.
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle (U-TBCC)
To date, the closest that NASA and industry have achieved for turbine based aircraft to fly at hypersonic velocities is by mounting a turbine into an aircraft and sharing the inlet with a scramjet or rocket based motor. Reaction Engines Sabre is not able to achieve hypersonic velocities and can only transition into a non air breathing rocket for beyond Mach 4.5
However, utilizing Unified Turbine Based Combine Cycle also known as U-TBCC, the two separate platforms are able to share a common inlet and the dual mode ramjet/scramjet is contained within the engine itself, which allows for a much smaller airframe footprint, thus engingeers are able to then design much higher performance aerial platforms for hypersonic flight, including the ability for constructing true single stage to orbit aircraft by utilizing a modification/version that allows for transition to outside atmosphere propulsion without any other propulsion platforms within the aircraft. By transitioning and developing aircraft to use Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle, this propulsion system opens up new options to replace that airframe deficit for increased fuel capacity and/or payload.
Enhanced Dynamic Cavitation
Dramatically Increasing the efficiency of fuel air mixture for combustion processes at hypersonic velocities within scramjet propulsion platforms. The aspects of these processes are non disclosable.
Dynamic Scramjet Ignition Processes
For optimal scramjet ignition, a process known as Self Start is sought after, but in many cases if the platform becomes out of attitude, the scramjet will ignite. We have already solved this problem which as a result, a scramjet propulsion system can ignite at lower velocities, high velocities, at optimal attitude or not optimal attitude. It doesn't matter, it will ignite anyways at the proper point for maximum thrust capabilities at hypersonic velocities.
Hydrogen vs Kerosene Fuel Sources
Kerosene is an easy fuel to work with, and most western nations developing scramjet platforms use Kerosene for that fact. However, while kerosene has better thermal properties then Hydrogen, Hydrogen is a far superior fuel source in scramjet propulsion flight, do it having a much higher efficiency capability. Because of this aspect, in conjunction with our developments, it allows for a MUCH increased fuel to air mixture, combustion, thrust; and ability for higher speeds; instead of very low hypersonic velocities in the Mach 5-6 range. Instead, Mach 8-10 range, while we have begun developing hypersonic capabilities to exceed 15 in atmosphere within less then 5 years.
Conforming High Pressure Tank Technology for CNG and H2.
As most know in hypersonics, Hydrogen is a superior fuel source, but due to the storage abilities, can only be stored in cylinders thus much less fuel supply. Not anymore, we developed conforming high pressure storage technology for use in aerospace, automotive sectors, maritime, etc; which means any overall shape required for 8,000+ PSI CNG or Hydrogen. For hypersonic platforms, this means the ability to store a much larger volume of hydrogen vs cylinders.
As an example, X-43 flown by Nasa which flew at Mach 9.97. The fuel source was Hydrogen, which is extremely more volatile and combustible then kerosene (JP-7), via a cylinder in the main body. If it had used our technology, that entire section of the airframe would had been an 8,000 PSI H2 tank, which would had yielded 5-6 times the capacity. While the X-43 flew 11 seconds under power at Mach 9.97, at 6 times the fuel capacity would had yielded apx 66 seconds of fuel under power at Mach 9.97. If it had flew slower, around Mach 6, same principles applied would had yielded apx 500 seconds of fuel supply under power (slower speeds required less energy to maintain).
Enhanced Fuel Mixture During Shock Train Interaction
Normally, fuel injection is conducted at the correct insertion point within the shock train for maximum burn/combustion. Our methodologies differ, since almost half the fuel injection is conducted PRE shock train within the isolator, so at the point of isolator injection the fuel enhances the combustion process, which then requires less fuel injection to reach the same level of thrust capabilities.
Improved Bow Shock Interaction
Smoother interaction at hypersonic velocities and mitigating heat/stresses for beyond Mach 6 thermodynamics, which extraordinarily improves Type 3, 4, and 5 shock interaction.
6,000+ Fahrenheit Thermal Resistance
To date, the maximum thermal resistance was tested at AFRL in the spring of 2018, which resulted in a 3,200F thermal resistance for a short duration. This technology, allows for normalized hypersonic thermal resistance of 3,000-3,500F sustained, and up to 6,500F resistance for short endurance, ie 90 seconds or less. 10-20 minute resistance estimate approximately 4,500F +/- 200F.
*** This technology advancement also applies to Aerospike rocket engines, in which it is common for Aerospike's to exceed 4,500-5,000F temperatures, which results in the melting of the reversed bell housing. That melting no longer ocurrs, providing for stable combustion to ocurr for the entire flight envelope
Scramjet Propulsion Side Wall Cooling
With old technologies, side wall cooling is required for hypersonic flight and scramjet propulsion systems, otherwise the isolator and combustion regions of a scramjet would melt, even using advanced ablatives and ceramics, due to their inability to cope with very high temperatures. Using technology we have developed for very high thermodynamics and high stresses, side wall cooling is no longer required, thus removing that variable from the design process and focusing on improved ignition processes and increasing net thrust values.
Lower Threshold for Hypersonic Ignition
Active and adaptive flight dynamics, resulting in the ability for scramjet ignition at a much lower velocity, ie within ramjet envelope, between Mach 2-4, and seamless transition from supersonic to hypersonic flight, ie supersonic ramjet (scramjet). This active and dynamic aspect, has a wide variety of parameters for many flight dynamics, velocities, and altitudes; which means platforms no longer need to be engineered for specific altitude ranges or preset velocities, but those parameters can then be selected during launch configuration and are able to adapt actively in flight.
Dramatically Improved Maneuvering Capabilities at Hypersonic Velocities
Hypersonic vehicles, like their less technologically advanced brethren, use large actuator and the developers hope those controls surfaces do not disintegrate in flight. In reality, it is like rolling the dice, they may or may not survive, hence another reason why the attempt to keep velocities to Mach 6 or below. We have shrunken down control actuators while almost doubling torque and response capabilities specifically for hypersonic dynamics and extreme stresses involved, which makes it possible for maximum input authority for Mach 10 and beyond.
Paradigm Shift in Control Surface Methodologies, Increasing Control Authority (Internal Mechanical Applications)
To date, most control surfaces for hypersonic missile platforms still use fins, similar to lower speed conventional missiles, and some using ducted fins. This is mostly due to lack of comprehension of hypersonic velocities in their own favor. Instead, the body itself incorporates those control surfaces, greatly enhancing the airframe strength, opening up more space for hardware and fuel capacity; while simultaneously enhancing the platforms maneuvering capabilities.
A scramjet missile can then fly like conventional missile platforms, and not straight and level at high altitudes, losing velocity on it's decent trajectory to target. Another added benefit to this aspect, is the ability to extend range greatly, so if anyone elses hypersonic missile platform were developed for 400 mile range, falling out of the sky due to lack of glide capabilities; our platforms can easily reach 600+ miles, with minimal glide deceleration.
MONTANA (July 31, 2017) Lt. Brandon Hempler, narrator for the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the 'Blue Angels', conducts aerial refueling operations with a Boeing KC-135 "Stratotanker" assigned to the 128th Air Refueling Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard, on their way to Seattle, Wash., for the 2017 Boeing Seafair Air Show. The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform more than 60 demonstrations at more than 30 locations across the U.S. in 2017.
Spc. Margarita Diaz, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, shows Col. Trevor J. Bredenkamp and Command Sgt. Maj. Scott A. Brzak, the brigade's command team, the steps in operating a fuel truck, Aug. 14, 2013, on Fort Bragg's Smith Army Airfield. Diaz and members of her platoon fueled aircraft for the first time during joint Forward Area Refueling Point training conducted with paratroopers from 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mary S. Katzenberger)
DAHLONEGA, Ga., Feb. 12, 2014 - Sergeant Marshall Herd of Cumming's 230th Brigade Support Company, Georgia Army National Guard, refuels a line of Humvee vehicles at Lumpkin County Fire Station 1 during Georgia Guard response to Winter Storm Pax.
"You can't ask for any more realistic training than this," said Herd.
Georgia Army National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. Rachel Dryden / Released
Sgt. David Sullivan, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, signals pilots to let them know their helicopter has been refueled, Aug. 14, 2013, on Smith Army Airfield on Fort Bragg, N.C. Sullivan and members of his unit's water and fuel platoon fueled aircraft for the first time during joint Forward Area Refueling Point training conducted with paratroopers from 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mary S. Katzenberger)