TU-16's very odd refueling technique

This may have been asked and answered before, but what the hell. What is it with the Soviet TU-16's refueling technique? Why wingtip-to-wingtip??

Anyone know why?

Other Soviet bombers / recce aircraft such as the TU-95 and M-4 did not use such methods.

Wouldn’t this be dangerous????
Did they lose any aircraft whilst refueling??

OMG, and I thought I were CRAZY!

This initial inflight refuelling tanker version used a novel "wingtip-to-wingtip" method, with a hose trailed from the right wingtip and snagged by grapnel trailed by receiver, then winched into fitting in receiver's port wingtip. It also had provision for additional transfer fuel in removable tanks in bomb bay.

Full source: www.globalsecurity.org...

One very interesting if not scarry way to refuell a plane, if your interested look up to German Tornado "Buddy Pod" refuelling system I'll try to find to link but it takes to first prize in truely pointless :-)

www.euroairgroup.org...

My tip for the Germans (BUY A TRISTAR! :-) (Please note I'm not really taking the mick out of the germans I just really cannot see the point in using the Tornado to refuel anything)

www.euroairgroup.org...

That would be a tristar

RAB

[edit on 13-5-2005 by RAB]

[edit on 13-5-2005 by RAB]

IIRC wing tip to wing tip refuelling was experimented with early on in the west and discarded.

Mind you here in Europe many of us find the USAF's flying boom approach weird to say the least when compared to the probe and drogue we tend to use.

As for 'buddy' systems? They have been used on so many aircraft over the decades.
It's just about extending range (and considering Tornado's excellent load carrying ability and range it doesn't seem like such a strange idea to me.)

Sometimes a VC10 or a Tristar just won't do!

I seem to recall that the US Navy, not so long ago, also used the probe and drogue method of refuelling. The A-6 family were also equipped with a buddy pod system for refuelling other carrier borne aircraft.

The UK GR1 Tornado's had the capability and all the wiring to use the German Buddy/Buddy refueling pods and I think that during the Gulf war part 1 a few pods were fitted but I do not think they were used as they fitted "Big Jugs" ( larger fuel tanks used originally by the F3's] and this gave , along with the use of Victor, VC10 and Tristar tankers, the range that was required. I think that the minimal amount of fuel that could be transferred from one "Tonka" to the other was not condidered worth all the effort!

Unless anybody out there knows different..........?

SV Out!

Originally posted by Britguy
I seem to recall that the US Navy, not so long ago, also used the probe and drogue method of refuelling. The A-6 family were also equipped with a buddy pod system for refuelling other carrier borne aircraft.

As far as I am aware the probve and drogue system is standard with the USN. I also recall seeing during the Gulf War USAF KC-10's trailing drogues from the end of their boom allowing USN and RAF aircraft to be refuelled as well.