Australian Super Hornet refuels over Iraq

ABC (Australia) ^ | 10/5/2014 | ADF: Sgt Hamish Paterson

[Ready4Freddy]

Great pic, but begs some questions.

Doesn't this look a bit too close for comfort, or is it not as close as it appears?

Who would be flying that close to a refueling op, and why?

The cockpit frame visible in the lower righthand corner suggests that it's not the other Aussie 18E/F that has flown thus far.

[freedumb2003]

I can see it just fine.

Did you piss off the Navy? ;)

[Don W]

LOL Not that I know of...

Perhaps it’s cuz I’m in a “furrin’ countree”. I’m less than 90 miles from Seattle, but on that big rock that keeps the Pacific from running rampant down Puget Sound. A five minute drive from my house and I can see Port Angeles Wa.

[Blood of Tyrants]

More likely another FA-18 took the pic.

[freedumb2003]

>>More likely another FA-18 took the pic.<<

No matter how — wingcam, fortunate shot inside the fueler or wingman — it is breathtaking, poignant and beautiful.

[freedumb2003]

or it could be some other pilots i phone

Based on the hype of the almost Android Galaxy iPhone 6, you should be able actually fly the iPhone 7 and take such a shot live.

[teeman8r]

and stream it to the ISIS facebook page with a “heads up”

[freedumb2003]

>>and stream it to the ISIS facebook page with a “heads up”<<

In a just Universe, my FRiend.

[freedumb2003]

Diplomatic Relations...

(I hate it when it does that).

[Osage Orange]

That is a GREAT pic!!

[Iscool]

To me it looks like the camera may have been mounted to the tail wing of the tanker...Regardless, great pic...

[Jet Jaguar]

Ping

[Ready4Freddy]

I could tell you if I did.

But then I’d have to kill you.

[MediaMole]

The hose and drogue refueling rigs are on the wingtips of KC-135 aircraft, so that would be an easy photo to get. Two of these aircraft can be refueled at the same time.

[Vendome]

Whatever...Iceman...

You can be my wingman...

LOL!

[DuncanWaring]

To the best of my knowledge, no KC-135 has wingtip refueling pods; they can have a drogue attachment mounted on the refueling boom prior to flight.

Wingtip refueling pods are only on the KC-130 and the KC-767/KC-46.

[cynwoody]

The owner of this website (fas.org) does not allow hotlinking to that resource (/man/dod-101/sys/ac/kc-130-tanker.jpg).

Found here: http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/kc-130.htm

[Oztrich Boy]

To the best of my knowledge, no KC-135 has wingtip refueling pods; they can have a drogue attachment mounted on the refueling boom prior to flight.

Wingtip refueling pods are only on the KC-130 and the KC-767/KC-46.

No but have been a lot of modded 707 refuelers with wingtip pods

Italian, Columbian KC-767s also have tip pods.

There are no KC-46s. There are however KC-30s (which the original photo is of), but they, like KC=130s, have pods better describes as "outer-wing"

[Yo-Yo]

To the best of my knowledge, no KC-135 has wingtip refueling pods;

Some KC-135Rs have the ability to use wingtip refueling pods.

[DuncanWaring]

Thanks.

I thought I had heard that there were some 707-based tankers with wing refueling pods, but couldn’t find any references to them.

The Japanese have got KC-767s also. I spent a year working on developing the refueling equipment for those.

[MHalblaub]

"If it is a KC-130 then that perspective looks spot on."

The Saudi Arabian KC-130 are possible but not the best aircraft for this job. The KC-130 can't reach the cruise altitude for jets.

There are also about 20 KC-135 able to accept wing mounted refueling pods. A boom adapter looks differently.

According to the drogue it could be an A330-MRTT:
http://leehamnews.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/mrtt_2.jpg (bigger)

The United Arab Emirates have 1 operational A330-MRTT, the RAF 9 Voyagers and Australian RAAF has 5 operational KC-30A.

Very likely the picture was taken from an Australian KC-30A.