Airbus just beat Boeing to be the first to complete a wholly automated air-to-air refueling operation | World Defense

Airbus just beat Boeing to be the first to complete a wholly automated air-to-air refueling operation

Scorpio

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Airbus just bested Boeing, achieving a massive milestone in an area that's recently been haunting the American manufacturer: air-to-air refueling.

In the latest match-up in the cross-ocean rivalry between the American and European manufacturers, an Airbus A310 MRTT tanker test aircraft successfully completed an automatic refueling operation with a Portuguese Air Force fighter jet. Boeing has not yet been able to achieve the feat, even with its newest aerial tanker.

Airbus has been leading the charge in autonomous flight operations, with the newly-automated refueling process the latest step in reducing manual control in aerial procedures. In December, an Airbus A350 XWB successfully took off without pilot input, using software integrated to onboard cameras.

The system has plans to be implemented on Airbus' newest tanker, the A330 MRTT, with the certification phase scheduled to begin next year. The Airbus A330 MRTT is the European competitor to Boeing's KC-46 Pegasus.


Currently in use with the US Air Force, the KC-46 Pegasus is Boeing's newest jet but is also proving to be one of its most problematic. Boeing's Pegasus is nowhere near autonomous refueling, with the company needing to fix a key system before autonomy can be discussed, an Air Force official told DefenseNews.

 

Khafee

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In December, an Airbus A350 XWB successfully took off without pilot input, using software integrated to onboard cameras.

The system has plans to be implemented on Airbus' newest tanker, the A330 MRTT, with the certification phase scheduled to begin next year. The Airbus A330 MRTT is the European competitor to Boeing's KC-46 Pegasus.



This is scary stuff, an unmanned tanker hijacked <)0(>
 

BATMAN

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This is scary stuff, an unmanned tanker hijacked <)0(>
As i understood, it's the refueling operation which is automated, and it's not necessarily have to be unmanned.
Operator will be monitoring the refueling.
No mention of Flying operations, so i take, it will be manned.
 
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Khafee

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As i understood, it's the refueling operation which is automated, and it's not necessarily have to be unmanned.
Operator will be monitoring the refueling.
No mentioned of Flying operations, so i take, it will be manned.
Pls see below about A350 XWB
Airbus has been leading the charge in autonomous flight operations, with the newly-automated refueling process the latest step in reducing manual control in aerial procedures. In December, an Airbus A350 XWB successfully took off without pilot input, using software integrated to onboard cameras.

The system has plans to be implemented on Airbus' newest tanker, the A330 MRTT, with the certification phase scheduled to begin next year.

 

Scorpio

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Yes... i see, indeed the future is going scary with autonomous flying drones and robots. Everything is subject to hacking /virus /bugs.
But think positive side less lose valuable human lifes fyling these objects
 

Scorpio

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Seems to be a Y-20U tanker. @Khafee

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