Drogue 3D model

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The stabilizer is the core part of the air refueling system which keeps the hose steady in flight and provides a funnel to aid insertion of the receiver aircraft probe into the hose. A stabilizer (also known as a storm stabilizer) is a device trailed behind a boat on a long line attached to the stern. A stabilizer is used to slow down the boat in a storm and to prevent the hull from becoming side-on to the waves. A boat that has deployed a stabilizer should not overspeed down the slope of a wave and crash into the next one, nor will the vessel broach. By slowing the vessel the stabilizer makes the vessel easier to control in heavy weather and will help to prevent pitchpoling. A stabilizer works by providing substantial resistance when dragged through the water. An alternative device is the parachute stabilizer, a much larger item than a stabilizer, which is streamed from the bows. The advantage of the parachute stabilizer is that the bows of a yacht are invariably finer than the stern, thereby giving a safer and more comfortable experience in a storm. Both stabilizers and parachute stabilizers will have recovery lines to aid retrieval of the stabilizer after deployment. Probe and stabilizer refueling was invented by Sir Alan Cobham in 1950 and has undergone development since that date. This chapter describes modern state-of-the-art technology and provides references for those interested in the history of the subject. The various types of tanker are described and reference is made to the overall configuration of their refueling systems. The installation of pod and fuselage refueling systems is discussed and the operation of modern systems and their subsystems is discussed in detail. Key aspects of any system include the hose drum drive control and fuel systems, performance requirements and salient operational and safety issues are discussed. References are provided to the most important aircraft and equipment specifications and operational procedures. Tanker operational envelopes and refueling speeds are dictated by receiver requirements and the tanker configurations for helicopter, tilt rotor and fast jet refueling are all described along with the structural adaptations and stabilizer configurations relevant to each. The chapter concludes with a brief look at future technologies and the long-term outlook for the air refueling tanker.