China: Chinese Air Force masters midair refueling

Kyodo News ^ | 09/14/05

[TigerLikesRooster]

Wednesday September 14, 7:30 PM

Chinese Air Force masters midair refueling

(Kyodo) _ A military newspaper said Wednesday the Chinese Air Force had mastered midair refueling, making China the fifth country in the world to accomplish the risky procedure. According to the People's Liberation Army Daily, after trials since the 1990s, three warplanes doing an exercise completed the procedure in mid-August. The paper calls midair refueling risky and difficult.

"Midair refueling is an important mark for balancing capabilities for aerial warfare," the paper said. "It's also an important symbol of a country's national defense strengths."

The paper offers a play-by-play description of the successful midair refueling exercise but does not give details such as where it took place or the number of people involved. Photos with the article show two fueling aircraft trailing meters behind the aircraft getting refueled.

France, Russia, Britain and the United States can also refuel planes in midair.

China has said over the past few years it would modernize the military to compensate for downsizing the number of soldiers. Disarmament over the past 20 years has reduced the number of troops from 4.24 million in 1985 to 2.3 million in 2003.

[USNBandit]

I've tanked off Canadian, Australian, British and of course U.S. tankers. Tanking countries off the top of my head include France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Iran, Kuwait, and the list goes on and on.

The five countries statement is incorrect.

[Arkie2]

EEEW! LOL! But you gotta admit, the Air Force guys could top off faster! Those probe and drogue ops were just damn slow!

[adam_az]

"France, Russia, Britain and the United States can also refuel planes in midair."

So can Israel.

So much for the accuracy of Kyodo News.

[adam_az]

"I have heard they make a decent AK-47"

Some are good, some are not.

I'm not sure if you've ever field stripped one - they are VERY simple to make. very very simple.

[JSteff]

"So how far could PLAAF reach with refueling?"

We can stay up almost indefinitely, easily go around the world. So assuming their planes are as good as ours.. they can go anywhere.

[Red6]

Wow-

This only sets them 40 YEARS behind?

But I'm sure some Chinese guy will tell us that the Chinese actually mastered this 5000 years ago. Lets not forget a German who will tell us that all this was only possible because of German secret scientists working for us in the background.

http://www.answers.com/topic/aerial-refueling

http://avstop.com/news/fat.html

Red6

[Steely Tom]

Now they've just got to get the hang of refueling a robot aircraft.

From another robot aircraft.

[JeffersonRepublic.com]

       Been there, done that!
        
Lowell Smith and Lt. John P. Richter, made the first mid-air refueling, June 1923

[JSteff]

"Chinese MOAB?"

Why? Too many people on FR mention MOAB yet for 999 out of 1000 missions it would be the munition of last choice even for us.

It is not that useful of a weapon. So why would the Chinese cart 20000 =/- lbs of practically useless bomb, in a CARGO plane no less, 20000 +/- miles to use on us?

We would hope they would fly in in a slow lumbering cargo plane that we can shoot out of the sky with an old Aircobra.

[Kozak]

The REAL fun will be to watch when they have their first attempt at Carrier landings. THAT will be quite entertaining.

[ChefKeith]

I was refering to Us shooting one of the chinese tankers out of the air and the result of the shoot with the fuel in the tanker.

No the use of a MOAB.

[PAR35]

France, Russia, Britain and the United States can also refuel planes in midair.

So can Italy, or they just wasted a pile of money buying a new tanker from Boeing.

[struggle]

Is it true what they say about Akita women?

[tanknetter]

So can Italy, or they just wasted a pile of money buying a new tanker from Boeing.

Perhaps the article was referring to a home-grown aerial refueling capability (then again, it looks like the ChiComs are using Russian hardware). There are, iirc, a couple dozen countries that have aerial refueling capability using equipment purchased elsewhere.

[ChefKeith]

BTW, IIRC this is the only time except on the thread about the MOAB test in Fla that I have even mentioned one.

[penelopesire]

I guess those Clinton era military secrets r finally paying off! (sigh)

[Captainpaintball]

Folks here can scoff all you want, they are to be taken seriously.

In 7 years, add Cina's combined military with their "asymetrical" forces (likely already here in the United States), and our own "enemy within", and they would likely win. The year of the dragon is in 2012. Who wants "it" more?

[Dr. Marten]

Gosh. I wonder how many hotshot pilots they went through before they finally completed a successful excercise?

[tophat9000]

Interesting that they are using a multi-point hose-and-drogue system. That's the way to go for a fighter fleet. Not so good for bombers.

I think all other countrys and the US Navy use the drogue system ..only the USAF uses the flying boom set up