In article ,
Buzzer writes:
On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 01:00:49 -0400, "John Keeney"
wrote:


"Henry J Cobb" wrote in message
...
Guy Alcala wrote:
After that the USAF decided to go
over completely to the boom/receptacle method, as their tankers would
(presumably) always have airbases to operate from, just as their
fighters and
bombers would. The boom gives better transfer rates and seems to be
more
reliable and easier to tank from, but it does limit the types of a/c
that can
be tankers, and it requires a lot more money and work to convert.

Will the F-35B be the first USAF aircraft since then to be built with
just a probe?

Clearly USAF helicopters have been built with "just a probe".
Outside of the rotory wings I can't think of any USAF probe
refuelers during the last 30 some years.

A-7D?

Nope. The Air Force's A-7s had a slipway & boom socket on the upper
fuselage. The only non-helicopter probe-only USAF airplane I can thig
of, post 1960, was the A-37.

I wouldn't doubt that if teh USAF were to take on an F-35B flavor,
that it would have a boom recepticle fitted. It's not a hard thing to
do, and it doesn't take up much space.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster