Simulation of the Dynamically Coupled KC-135 Tanker and Flying Boom

Future Air Force mission requirements for unmanned aircraft will require Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR). Current AAR research requires a precision model that is capable of simulating refueling operations between a KC-135 tanker and an unmanned aircraft. High-fidelity simulations of the tanker aircraft, refueling boom, and proposed receiver aircraft currently exist independently, but none are dynamically coupled to the others. Since boom orientation and motion are known to change the trim of the tanker aircraft, which in turn influences other aspects of refueling operations, a new model was created by integrating an existing KC-135 tanker model and a recently developed refueling boom model. Validation of the new, coupled model examined boom and tanker motion in comparison with other established models; and, ultimately, by comparisons with flight test data. Although the KC-135 has been flying for nearly 50 years, this model is the first to capture the dynamic interactions of the aircraft and its aerial refueling boom.