Almost 100 years ago, four American aviators made aviation history by performing the first in-flight refueling. What started as an experiment has become a very important capability for several air forces around the world, including the Brazilian one.
The fact occurred in June 27th, 1923 in San Diego, California, and involved two Airco DH.4B biplanes from the US Army Air Service—later to become the Air Corps, then the Army Air Force, and finally, in 1947, the US Air Force (USAF) as an independent institution—manned by Lieutenants Virgil Hine, Frank Seifert, Lowell Smith, and John Richter.
The two aircraft were modified based on studies by Russian-American engineer and aviator Alexander de Seversky. Simply put, Hine and Seifert's DH.4B would be the tanker, extending a 15,24-foot hose to Smith and Richter's DH.4B, which was flying just below.
While Hine and Smith piloted their aircraft, Seifert and Richter were responsible for transferring fuel between planes. With the connected aircraft, the pioneers were able to transfer 284 liters of gasoline from one plane to the other, marking the first in-flight refueling in history.
The entire flight lasted 6 hours and 38 minutes, the only reason not to go further was an engine problem in Smith and Richter's DH.4. Two months later, the same aviators flew for 37 hours and 16 minutes in another demonstration where 4 fuel transfers were performed. At the time, two DH.XNUMXB served as tanker planes for another biplane of the same model.
modern development
Despite the highly successful demonstrations, in-flight refueling only began to be massively developed after the Second World War, when it became clear that planes needed more autonomy.
In 1948 the USAF formed its first dedicated in-flight refueling squadrons, equipped with the KB-50 Superfortress with the Probe and Drogue system (called probe and basket in Brazil). Later, she started to use the method that she uses the most until today, that of Flying Boom (Lance and Receiver).
Over the years, in-flight refueling (REVO) has become commonplace within military aviation. What was once a demonstration in classic, romantic 1920s aviation has become a true military force multiplier.
With REVO, an air force can keep a plane flying for days. The biggest limitation is, essentially, the fatigue of its crew.
Today, the US, whose pioneers made the first REVO, has the largest tanker fleet in the world, with about 627 KC-135, KC-46, KC-130 and KC-10 aircraft. It should be ed that the Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters can also act as tankers.
REVO in Brazil
As in many other countries, Brazilian pilots are also able to refuel in flight. Around here, the practice of REVO occurs regularly since 1976,
At the end of the 1960s, the FAB took the first steps towards extensive modernization. The 1970s were marked by the acquisition of a series of new vectors, with emphasis on its first supersonic fighters: the Dassault Mirage III and the Northrop F-5 Tiger II/Freedom Fighter.
At the same time, the Air Force Command wanted to increase the radius of action of its planes. Thus, a pair of KC-130H Hércules (FAB 2461 and 2462) were acquired in 1974, arriving in the country in October of the following year and being delivered to the 1st Troop Transport Group (1st GTT), based in Rio de Janeiro. .
Meanwhile, the FAB bought and installed the REVO probes on the F-5E fighters of the 1st Fighter Aviation Group (1st GAvCA), also in Rio de Janeiro, as well as instructing the pilots of the respective squadrons.
So in 04 May 1976 (53 years after the first refueling in the USA), two F-5E fighters (FAB 4828 and 4854) and a KC-130H (2461) met 94 km from Uberaba (MG) to carry out the first in-flight refueling in Brazil. That day, two transfers of fuel were made between Barão 01 (call code for the KC-130) and Jambock Vermelho (code for the F-5).
Thus, REVO operations became routine in Brazil. With the purchase of four Boeing KC-137 (ex-Varig 707 jets) in 1986, FAB expanded its refueling capacity.
The Air Force tried to install REVO probes on the Mirage III and AT-26 Xavante, but the project did not go ahead. With the arrival of the AMX A-1, Brazil now has a second vector capable of being refueled. In 2006, came the Mirage 2000B/C, also with REVO capability, but retired in 2013 along with the KC-137.
In 2018, the Brazilian Air Force ed the select group of countries that make REVO between airplanes and helicopters. In December that year, an H-36 Caracal made dry s and fuel transfers with a KC-130.
In September of this year, the FAB should receive its sixth KC-390 Millennium and will soon start its own REVO campaigns with this model. And in July, the first Airbus A330-200, which in the future will become the first A330 MRTT in Latin America, as well as the largest and most capable tanker on the continent.
