History of Air-to-Air Refuelling by Richard M Tanner Mbe Is An Author & Historian

Author:Richard M Tanner Mbe Is An Author & Historian.
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783460281
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2013-07-05T00:00:00+00:00

A Buccaneer receiver about to make contact and to develop future refuelling equipment

The Mk XV hose-drum unit, as previously stated, was intended for the American Air Force. This did not come to fruition, however, and it was installed in the English Electric Canberra B Mk 2 bomber WH.734 for experimental purposes. It did very useful trials with virtually every receiver aircraft, as typically shown above.

In July 1953 Canberra WH.743 was delivered to Tarrant Rushton for the installation of the Mk XV hose-drum unit for the high-speed and altitude trials with Valiant WZ.390.

The unit was installed at the forward end of the aircraft’s bomb-bay, being suspended from its roof by four vertical, tubular struts, together with four side struts to absorb the side loads and two drag struts mounted at the forward end to absorb the high pull-off loads that would be applied when the receiver aircraft broke contact. The two rear side struts were attached to the unit adjacent to the rear vertical struts, and secured to the bomb-bay longeron. Similarly the forward side struts were attached to the unit’s point and thence to the longeron.The two drag struts were also attached at the unit’s pivot point and to the longeron at the forward end of the bomb-bay. The photos show the port and starboard sides of the unit in situ.

The bomb-bay doors were completely removed and replaced with a long deflector board (below) centrally positioned within the bomb-bay, and faired in by a fabricated skin along its sides.This prevented the drogue rising into the bomb-bay during the winding and trailing sequences, as from past experience it had shown to rise during a short length of hose being trailed.

The control panel was located at the navigator’s position, together with a rearward-looking mirror mounted externally on the port side of the fuselage. This permitted the operator to view the hose during an operation.

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