Taken by Dane Wiedmann and released by Code One magazine, this interesting photo shows USMC test pilot Lt. Col. Patrick Moran, flying F-35B BF-2, as he performs aerial refueling tests off of a U.S. Air Force KC-10 on Jun. 25, 2013.
Image credit: Dane Wiedmann via LM
So far, the majority of the images of the F-35 being refueled came from the typical point of view of the KC-135 boom operator.
This image was taken by a KC-10 equipped with a hose (in place of the flying boom) hence the interesting perspective on the stealth plane.
David Cenciotti is a freelance journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written four books.
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2 Comments
The drogue isn’t in place of the boom, the KC-10 has both installed, and can use either.
You are correct. The KC-135 can only do one or the other at a time, but the KC-10 can do both on the same mission.
The drogue isn’t in place of the boom, the KC-10 has both installed, and can use either.
You are correct. The KC-135 can only do one or the other at a time, but the KC-10 can do both on the same mission.