Ask an Explainer

Q:

Do wing tip vortices affect the fighter jets which refuel in the air from wing tips ?

A:

Wingtip vortices affect mid-air refueling by causing the basket and the probe to move around more. The basket is the end of a hose from the aircraft giving the fuel that connects to a probe from the aircraft that is taking on fuel. Because vortices make this more difficult, mid air refueling to wingtips is no longer used. There were only a handful of Soviet aircraft that used this method (the Tu-4 and Tu-16) and how they accomplished this is not entirely clear. Most modern aircraft refuel from a probe located towards the middle of the aircraft. Some aircraft have hoses extend from the wingtip, but they dock with a probe near the middle of the aircraft so wingtip vortices do not have a significant effect. 

Ask an Explainer
Categories: