AFRL seeks automated boom for future uncrewed tanker

U.S. Air Force researchers want proposals for new automation technologies that would allow boom-equipped uncrewed aircraft to refuel crewed aircraft.

 The Automated Air Refueling (A3R) solicitation opens the second phase of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Combat Refueling and Operations Networked Universal Systems (CRONUS) program.

 In the first phase, AFRL awarded an $8.88 million contract to Lockheed Martin to develop a relative navigation system, allowing two aircraft to automatically approach each other during an aerial refueling without colliding.

 In the second phase, AFRL plans to spend $9.8 million over three years on a contractor that can develop an automated refueling boom for an uncrewed aircraft.

 The intent for CRONUS boom automation is to develop advanced boom automation technologies that would enable a future boom-equipped tanker to be uncrewed,” AFRL says in a July 24 solicitation.

 “A3R will accelerate platform agnostic capabilities and reduce risk for future tanking concepts by demonstrating full boom automation capabilities in a GPS-denied environment,” AFRL added.

 The A3R technology also should use standard interfaces to avoid a solution that locks AFRL into using a single vendor for the life cycle of the system.

 The AFRL program follows multiple A3R technologies already developed or proposed by other companies. Most notably, the Republic of Singapore Air Force commissioned Airbus to deliver an A3R suite on the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport.