Aircraft
Airbus Successfully Flight-tests Automatic Air Refueling
An F-16 was connected to an A330 MRTT using image processing software
A Portuguese F-16 takes on fuel from an Airbus A330 MRTT after an automatic hook-up. (Airbus D&S)
A Portuguese F-16 takes on fuel from an Airbus A330 MRTT after an automatic hook-up. (Airbus D&S)

Airbus Defence and Space has successfully flight-tested its automatic air-to-air refueling (AAR) contact system, and claimed a world first. The boom of the company’s A330 MRTT demonstrator was steered into the receptacle of a Portuguese air force F-16 using image processing software that the company has been developing for more than a year.