[ccmay]

The article I linked to said the hose-and-drogue systems could not pump fuel fast enough for a bomber. Even the flying boom takes 20 minutes to fill a B-52, and the hoses supply a quarter or less of the flow per second of the boom.

The B-1 sure is a pretty aircraft, by the way. I don't think it lived up to its billing, however.

-ccm

[Oztrich Boy]

The article I linked to said the hose-and-drogue systems could not pump fuel fast enough for a bomber. Even the flying boom takes 20 minutes to fill a B-52, and the hoses supply a quarter or less of the flow per second of the boom.

Not really. The Flight Refuelling Mk32 pod (most common fit)is limited to 400 US gal/min (almost half, not a quarter of a boom rate).
But the big fuselage fitted Flight Refuelling Limited’s Mk 17 Hose Drum Unit )fitted to RAF VC=10, L1011, and the Airbus MRTT) manages about 800 US gal/min - which is near boom rates