KC-135 testing aims at fueling efficiency, cost savings

by Kenji Thuloweit
95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

4/12/2010 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Engineers at the Air Force Flight Test Center here are testing a system known as the Automatic Receiver Aircraft Identification, or ARAI. Currently installed on a test aerial refueler, if the tests are successful, they say, the system will significantly improve air-to-air refueling.

The ARAI is designed to be installed on a KC-135 Stratotanker to make the air-to-air refueling to a receiver aircraft more efficient and economical. Phase 2 testing for the ARAI has begun here, which included a flight test April 7 using an NKC-135 test tanker equipped with ARAI and an F-16 Fighting Falcon equipped with radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags. The NKC-135 will use its ARAI antennas to scan the F-16 for recognition and to accurately gauge the amount of fuel transferred.

"It's an inventory control measure similar to what the large department stores have," said Steve Walden, AFFTC test operations project manager. "It's a similar process to when you walk through the passive system at the door, the tags on the backs of CDs and DVDs are automatically inventoried. That is ARAI in the tanker, fly-up inventory control."

Currently, when an airplane approaches a KC-135 for fuel, the receiver aircraft's information is manually tracked by the boom operator. Information for the receiver plane, such as tail number and squadron, must either be visually identified or communicated by radio. During night operations and radio silence situations, doing this can be complicated.

"(ARAI) helps clean up the process so the boomer can focus on what's really important, refueling the aircraft and completing the mission, rather than administrative tasks," said Karen Etzkorn, a Boeing systems engineer and principal investigator.

Ms. Etzkorn added that when visual identification and communications are hindered for some reason, it takes longer for the KC-135 crew to accurately log the aircraft and fuel information after the refueling process is finished, or sometimes after they land.

Manually entered information can be inaccurate and thus costly. With the ARAI/RFID system, a receiver aircraft with the RFID tags can be scanned by the ARAI and all data retrieved is logged into a computer aboard the tanker. Accurate information is important because when an aircraft is refueled by a KC-135, the receiver's squadron is responsible for the fuel cost.

"There's millions of dollars lost every year because of tracking for fuels that are unaccounted for or allocated incorrectly," Mr. Walden said. "When you go into a certain situation when there's no communication (between the two aircraft), you have to estimate and that's when you could lose money."

Mr. Walden said the ARAI system could potentially save the Air Force money by accurately tracking the amount of fuel downloaded and charging squadrons the proper dollar amount. Air Force officials would be able to budget their fuel needs and costs more efficiently.

The Phase 2 KC-135 ARAI testing is part of the 'proof of concept' portion of the testing process, which includes aerial testing. Once Phase 2 is complete, the testing results and data will be forwarded to Air Force Materiel Command officials for review.