Aerial Refueling Hose Energy Absorbing Device

Probe and drogue air-to-air refueling (AAR) involves extending 70 to 80 feet of hose to allow for receiver engagement. If the receiver engages too fast and/or the hose reel fails to keep tension on the hose, a sine wave will develop. This sine wave can produce overloads on the receiver aircraft probe with catastrophic consequences. AR hoses today are designed to meet the strength and construction requirements of MIL-H-4495; however, this specification does not give specific guidance on how to absorb energy. If the AR hose itself were able to absorb the energy of a sine wave, the AR operation would have a truly redundant system, greatly increasing system safety and availability. The number of receiver mishaps would be reduced by orders of magnitude, especially for our high risk receivers. Mide proposes to incorporate energy absorbing material directly into the hose to help mitigate these potentially catastrophic occurrences. The material will not interfere with the current operation of the hose and reel and provide the Air Force with the benefit of a much safe probe and drogue refueling system.