Ejercito del Aire, October 21, 2018 - Within the framework of the improvements in interoperability between allied nations, the refueling in flight from a Hercules of Ala 31 to a helicopter of the EC725 Caracal of the Armée de L'Air has been tested.
The continuous refueling operations of helicopters that France carries out in the different scenarios where they are deployed and the few tanks that have the capacity to provide fuel to helicopters advise training this type of mission.
For this, and as a previous step, the Logistical Command of the Air Force carried out modifications in the refueling equipment in order to undertake the viability of the operation at low speed.
The most visible of these modifications results in the size of the replenishment basket, which allows its operation at speeds between 220 and 260 kilometers per hour.
Staff of Ala 31 and Logistics Center of Armament and Experimentation were set up as a test team and, in coordination with the French Armée de L'Air as operator of the helicopter, they have made a set of flights that have made it possible to determine the feasibility of the operation in day.
These flights were made from the Istres Air Base, located in the south of France, from one to five of October. In the preparation of the trials and in order to become familiar with the specific helicopter flight replenishment procedures, a C-295 of the Ala 35 also participated.
At the end of the testing campaign, the French Air Force expressed its satisfaction with the results obtained and showed its interest in extending the campaign to the evening tests.
The continuous refueling operations of helicopters that France carries out in the different scenarios where they are deployed and the few tanks that have the capacity to provide fuel to helicopters advise training this type of mission.
For this, and as a previous step, the Logistical Command of the Air Force carried out modifications in the refueling equipment in order to undertake the viability of the operation at low speed.
The most visible of these modifications results in the size of the replenishment basket, which allows its operation at speeds between 220 and 260 kilometers per hour.
Staff of Ala 31 and Logistics Center of Armament and Experimentation were set up as a test team and, in coordination with the French Armée de L'Air as operator of the helicopter, they have made a set of flights that have made it possible to determine the feasibility of the operation in day.
These flights were made from the Istres Air Base, located in the south of France, from one to five of October. In the preparation of the trials and in order to become familiar with the specific helicopter flight replenishment procedures, a C-295 of the Ala 35 also participated.
At the end of the testing campaign, the French Air Force expressed its satisfaction with the results obtained and showed its interest in extending the campaign to the evening tests.
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