Posted on 01/30/2011 5:05:29 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Air to air refuelling: PAF gets third aircraft from Ukraine
WASIM IQBAL
ISLAMABAD (January 30, 2011) : Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has received third air to air refuelling aircraft from Ukraine, which is likely to reach here in the first week of February 2011, sources disclosed. PAF purchased a total of four IL-78P Midas tanker aircraft from Ukraine.
The third aircraft is likely to arrive in the first week of February. These aircraft are equipped with Soviet-designed UPAZs pods and refuelling kits on Mirage-III Rose-I of South African origin. In the first phase, PAF announced that 30 Mirage-III Rose-I will be upgraded with in-flight refuelling probes and this too, is being done at PAC Kamra. The IL-78s will help train Pakistani crew in mid-air refuelling techniques and once operational, will be used to refuel the Mirage-III, eventually JF-17 Thunder and Fc-20 fighter jets.
These IL-78 Midas mid-air refuelling aircraft will allow PAF to increase the range and endurance of its fighter aircraft. The capability will also allow Pakistan to hit targets deep inside enemy territory by refuelling fighter aircraft during flight. An official said that air-to-air refuelling will enhance PAF capability in military warfare allowing its aircraft long ranges. The first air to air refuelling aircraft joined the force in mid of December 2009. PAF is using IL-78 aircraft that it procured from Ukraine for refuelling purposes and immediately installed refuelling kits to save cost. It has been learnt that PAF operates around 45 F-16A/B that are being upgraded to F-16AM/BM along with 17 new F-16C/D Block 52. So far, PAF has not shown any interest in new conformal air refuel tank system for F-16s to make them capable of taking fuel from IL-78 as its old F-16A/B can not carry conformal fuel tanks.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2011
Is there any rogue state a US ally Ukraine haven’t supplied with weapons?
Nice shot. Do they make a boom for that bird?
Is that a Typhoon being fueled in that picture? It doesn’t look like any of the American airframes.
Remember though, it is an Ilyushin. You can’t find worse hardware than a Russian design assembled by indifferent Ukrainians.
Looks to be a Mirage III
No boom, so it will not be refueling PAF F-16s.
The delta wing should have clued me..
Thanks!
The Russians are known to use only the probe and drogue system.
The main production facility for the Il-76 is in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) so both Russia or Ukraine mainly add systems to finished airframes.
About indifferent Ukrainians, some of their weapon systems including tanks and electronics are regarded as being better than the Russian versions.
conformal retractable???
Yes. picture below shows it telescopes and normally hides behind a hatch
great shot... thank you
Yes - and judging from the decals all over everything it looks like a Skunk Works project. The bluesuiter refueling method - with the boom thingy, really ought to be scrapped. In the F8, I’ve tanked many times off air force booms rigged up with the basket hanging on ten or twelve feet of hose - the notorious donkey dick setup. A workable if kludgy solution in clear smooth air but not so great in heavy turbulence, as in a line of bumpers - true story! When you are getting knocked around a bit that pipe gets to look real ugly. The probe/drogue is the best deal, any time anywhere - always has been.
yeah, i saw Stinky and i bet that boom really could get ugly looking...
Ukraine does a better job these days because there is less corruption than in Russia and people actually have a chance to earn a decent living.
I will point out however that the choice of product for Ukrainian National Airlines (Aero Svit etc.) is Boeing.
I know, isn’t it cool? It’s a probe refueling conformal fuel tank that Lockheed Martin developed for it’s F-16IN bid for the Indian MRCA contest.
It’s also something that Pakistand doesn’t have.
I agree, at least for fighter aircraft. The KC-X (if that contract ever gets awarded) will have a permanent center mounted hose and drogue along with two mountable wing refueling pods, in addition to the boom.
The best place to start is to insist that all USAF F-35As be equipped with a refueling probe. The space is there already, and it will be used on foreign sales F-35As, as well as on all F-35Bs and Cs.
Here's an interesting read: Air Force Aerial Refueling Methods: Flying Boom versus Hose-and-Drogue
Even Aeroflot is buying Western models these days. The ones sticking with Soviet models are the older, weaker operators.
The only exception to that would be the introduction of the new Sukhoi Superjet in the coming years.
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