Originally Posted by
sandiego89
Anyone know if this problem with the remote vision system will allow the 46 to tank or not? Is it just that it is not as good as they want, or they can’t tank with it? or just limitations in certain scenarios. 3-4 years to fix sounds huge.
As I understand it - the system tanks just fine but isn't 'up to spec' in certain low or tricky light situations.
Unlike previous USAF tankers, the boom is operated remotely from a station just aft of the flight deck, using a 3d vision system. The capabilities of the 3d vision system are good, but aren't quite as good as was originally promised. As a result, it can do anything the KC-135 can do, but isn't quite the step improvement that the USAF wants.
Oh, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the A330MRTT doesn't meet the USAF requirements either.