Lockheed Martin unveils wing-body tanker concept for refuel stealth aircraft

[Zarvan]

Photo by Graham Warwick
Lockheed Martin has unveiled its concept of next-generation wing-body tanker aircraft for refuel fighters like the F-22 and F-35. That was reported by Graham Warwick.

The concept of new stealth tanker aircraft was displayed for the first time at AIAA SciTech Forum. Lockheed has already begun wind-tunnel testing on a four percent scale model of a new Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) airlifter designed for maximized aerodynamic efficiency. As Lockheed’s aerospace engineers conduct flight tests on the 45-pound HWB model, they could use the data not only to develop the HWB but also to jumpstart a tanker program with a similar blended wing-body design.

The U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command recently announced the “KC-Z” program intended to develop a next-generation tanker aircraft—one that could fly into dangerous airspace to support stealth strike fighters like the F-22 and F-35—by 2035.

The Air Force has spent the last 15 years operating in the permissive skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, with no real need for radar-evading, armed tankers, he says. But adversaries such as Russia and China are developing sophisticated surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft weapons designed to foil U.S. forces’ ability to penetrate, leaving the Pentagon struggling to tackle the new anti-access, area-denied environment.

A stealthy, armed tanker might be part of the solution, Everhart says. The tankers of the 2030s and ’40s will need to be significantly more survivable because they may accompany the next generation of fighters and bombers into this new battlefield. In other words, a nonstealthy tanker could give away the position of the stealthiest fighter jet.

The United States Air Force (USAF) is considering whether the new tanker should include standoff, stealth or penetrating capabilities for an anti-access area denial environment.

http://defence-blog.com/news/lockhe...nker-concept-for-refuel-stealth-aircraft.html

 

[Penguin]

weird

 

[Incog_nito]

Seems like a stealth bomber...

 

[Rank]

uck!

 

[Penguin]

U.S. Air Force Wants Stealthy, Laser-Shooting Next-Gen Tanker
The U.S. Air Force, with the KC-46 in production, looks ahead to battlefield-ready follow-ons
Sep 28, 2016
http://aviationweek.com/defense/us-air-force-wants-stealthy-laser-shooting-next-gen-tanker

"...A stealthy, armed tanker might be part of the solution, Everhart says. The tankers of the 2030s and ’40s will need to be significantly more survivable because they may accompany the next generation of fighters and bombers into this new battlefield. In other words, a nonstealthy tanker could give away the position of the stealthiest fighter jet....

...The general hopes to speak with major industry players about applying low-observable coatings, using a blended, hybrid or flying-wing design to reduce the tanker’s radar cross section, or even outfitting the aircraft with lasers to defeat incoming missiles. AMC is open to an autonomous or remotely piloted tanker as well, he says....

...For a stealthy next-generation tanker, the Air Force may draw on the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL)Speed Agile concept demonstration, a decade-long collaborative effort by AFRL, NASA, Boeing and Lockheed Martin to develop technology for a stealthy, short-takeoff-and-landing airlifter. Boeing and Lockheed’s Speed Agile designs featured stealthy shaping and embedded engines. Though Speed Agile began in 2002 to meet Air Force requirements for an efficient, survivable airlifter able to deliver loads directly to the battlefield, the program ended in 2012 without transitioning to a development program.

The Air Force may also be looking at Lockheed’s Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) and Boeing’s Blended Wing Body (BWB) concepts for a more fuel-efficient next-generation airlifter. The HWB combines a blended wing and forebody for aerodynamic and structural efficiency with a conventional aft fuselage and tail; BWB is a triangular, tailless design that merges the vehicle’s wing and body. Neither concept is specifically designed for stealth—features such as embedded engines and aligned edges are not apparent—but such an airframe would certainly be stealthier than today’s transport and tanker aircraft and could later be modified to reduce the radar cross section.

The Air Force’s long-stated strategy for replacing its aging KC-10s and KC-135s begins with buying 179 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aircraft, with delivery beginning in August 2017. The service had planned to pursue a KC-Y acquisition starting in 2024, followed by a KC-Z in 2036. However, Everhart says they are now thinking about leapfrogging KC-Y for a next-generation KC-Z. Alternatively, KC-Y could just be a modernized KC-46—a KC-46B, per se...."