List of tanker aircraft

Luftwaffe Airbus A310 MRTT in 2007.

This is a list of tanker aircraft (aircraft used for aerial refueling) categorised by type of refueling system.

Boom and receptacle

A KC-135E Stratotanker refueling a KC-10 Extender, 1991.

Boeing KC-767 refuelling tanker of the JASDF (07-3604) arrives at the 2016 Royal International Air Tattoo, England

• Airbus A330 MRTT
  • derived from the Airbus A330-200 airliner. Versions operated by the Australian, Emirati and Saudi air forces are equipped with both a flying boom and hose-and-drogue refueling units.
• Boeing KB-29P (No longer in service)
  • adapted from the B-29 Superfortress bomber
• Boeing KB-50 (No longer in service)
  • a modified Boeing B-50 Superfortress, a B-29 derivative
• Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter (No longer in service)
  • derived from the C-97 Stratofreighter, another B-29 Superfortress descendant
• Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
  • related to the Boeing 707 airliner
  • also used by the French Air Force (AdlA), Chilean Air Force, Republic of Singapore Air Force and Turkish Air Force
  • boom can be fitted preflight with a drogue adapter. AdlA KC-135 Stratotankers use the probe-and-drogue system
  • MPRS models will have two drogue hose reels (pods) at the wingtips
• Boeing 747
  • Used only by the IIAF and now the IRIAF, the Boeing 747 is the largest inflight refueling tanker. It is equipped with a single Boeing high speed boom.
• McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender
  • adapted from the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airliner
  • also has a retractable hose and drogue that can be selected in-flight
  • can be fitted with two underwing pods (similar to the KC-135's MPRS) capable of simultaneously refueling two receiver aircraft (Wing Air Refueling Pods or WARPs)
  • Boom operator is in a rear-facing seat with a downward facing window with fly by wire controls.
  • The Royal Netherlands Air Force operates two KDC-10s – former civil aircraft modified to a similar standard to the KC-10
• Boeing KC-767
  • adapted from the Boeing 767 airliner
  • In service with the Italian Air Force (AMI) and Japan Air Self Defense Force (Entered service on March 26, 2009)

Probe-and-drogue

de Havilland Sea Vixens probe-and-drogue refueling at a 1960s Farnborough Air Show

USAF HC-130P refuels a HH-60 Pave Hawk

An Australian Boeing 707 refueling a US Navy F/A-18 in 2002

• Airbus A310 MRTT
  • 4 for Luftwaffe
  • 2 for Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), as CC-150T Polaris
• Airbus A330 MRTT
  • derived from the Airbus A330-200 airliner.
  • In RAF service it is exclusively hose-and-drogue and is known as Voyager KC2 and KC3. It is operated under a leasing arrangement and have been made as civilian standard as possible with limitations such as; no self-refueling capability and only the KC3 model (five on order) is fitted with a fuselage mounted high capacity hose-and-drogue system.
  • Australian, Emirati and Saudi operators have a refueling boom in addition to wing mounted hose-and-drogue systems
• Airbus A400M, a strategic transport and tanker aircraft in service since 2013.
  • In service with the French Air Force, introduction into the RAF and Luftwaffe by 2014.
• Avro Lancaster (retired)
  • Refueled Gloster Meteors in 1940s
• Avro Lincoln^[1] (retired)
  • Refueled Gloster Meteors in 1940s
• Avro Vulcan (No longer in service)
  • specially modified for operations as K.2 tankers during the Falklands War
• Blackburn Buccaneer (No longer in service)
  • Equipped for buddy tanking in Royal Navy (RN) and South African Air Force (SAAF) service
• Boeing 707
  • Used by the US Navy, conversion by Omega Aerial Refueling Services.^[2]
  • Used by the RAAF (retired), Brazilian Air Force (FAB), RCAF, AMI (no longer in service), SAAF, Venezuelan Air Force and others
  • AdlA KC-135 Stratotankers use the probe-and-drogue system.
  • Colombian Air Force (FAC), a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker modified with a Multi-Point Refueling System PODS.
  • RCAF used to use CC-137 Husky (Boeing 707) for refueling. Both were retired in 1997.
• Boeing 767 Conversion by IAI
  • FAC, a 767-200ER fitted with two ARP3 refueling pods under the wings, and cargo door.
• Boeing KB-29M (No longer in service)
  • adapted from the B-29 Superfortress; earlier versions used a "grappling hose" system; later models used a true probe-and-drogue.
• Boeing KB-50 (No longer in service)
  • adapted from the B-50 Superfortress, an improved model of the B-29 Superfortress.
• Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
  • Equipped for buddy refueling as "Strike tankers". Taking over tanking duties as the S-3 is retired from service.
• Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard
  • equipped for buddy refueling
• Dassault Rafale
  • equipped for buddy refueling
• de Havilland Sea Vixen (No longer in service)
  • Equipped for buddy tanking in RN service
• Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior (No longer in service)
  • Dedicated tanker variant of the Skywarrior. Primary US Navy tanker from the Vietnam War until retirement prior to Desert Storm.
• Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
  • Equipped for buddy tanking with several nations.
• Grumman KA-6D Intruder (No longer in service)
  • Dedicated tanker variant of the Intruder. Attack variants of the A-6 also capable of buddy tanking
• Handley Page Victor (No longer in service)
  • B(K).1A, K.1, K.1A and K.2 variants served with the RAF

Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-78 with three refueling hose-drogue units (two wing, one fuselage)

• Ilyushin Il-78 Midas
  • Standard Russian tanker, adapted from Il-76 cargo/transport aircraft
  • Variants of this tanker aircraft also deployed by the Algerian Air Force, People's Liberation Army Air Force, Indian Air Force and Pakistan Air Force.
• Lockheed HC-130 Hercules and KC-130 Hercules, especially in United States Marine Corps service as well as KC-130s in Argentine Air Force, Brazilian Air Force, Israel Air Force, Indonesian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Republic of Singapore Air Force, Swedish Air Force and Spanish Air Force service. Royal Canadian Air Force uses modified C-130H as tankers and the Royal Air Force used modified C-130Ks.
  • variants of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules
• Lockheed S-3 Viking (No longer in service)
  • The current primary carrier-based tanker, equipped for buddy tanking
• Lockheed TriStar (retired)
  • K1 and KC1 variants deployed by the RAF
• LTV A-7 Corsair II (No longer in US service)
  • Equipped for buddy tanking in US Navy and Greek Air Force service
• Mikoyan MiG-29K
  • equipped for buddy refueling
• Myasishchev M-4-2 (No longer in service)
  • adapted from the M-4 bomber
• Myasishchev 3MS-2 (No longer in service)
  • adapted from the 3M bomber
• Sukhoi Su-24M
  • equipped for buddy refueling with the UPAZ container as "Strike tankers"
• Sukhoi Su-33
  • equipped for buddy refueling
• Supermarine Scimitar (No longer in service)
  • Equipped for buddy tanking in RN service
• Tupolev Tu-16N (No longer in service)
  • adapted from the Tu-16 bomber
• Vickers Valiant (No longer in service)
  • B(PR)K.1 and B(K).1 variants served with the RAF
• Vickers VC10
  • C1K, K3 and K4 variants deployed by the RAF. The K2 variant is no longer in service
• Xian H-6U
  • Equipped for refueling in the PLAAF service.

Wing-to-wing

• Tupolev Tu-16Z (No longer in service)

Looped hose

• Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow used for early in flight refueling experiments by Flight Refuelling Ltd, including supporting Short Empire flying boat crossings of the north Atlantic which proved the feasibility of in-flight refuelling as a regular activity, and later inventing the probe and drogue system.

References