Beagle
"Burn the Spinning Jenny" is what comes to my mind when reading your posts. As far as UAS AAR goes please take a look at this picture:
"By adding an automated aerial refueling capability to UAVs, we can significantly increase their combat radius and mission times while reducing their forward staging needs and response times," said David Riley, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for the Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) program. The goal of the government-industry AAR program is to develop and demonstrate systems that will enable UAVs to safely approach and maneuver around tanker aircraft so they can successfully perform boom and receptacle refueling operations. The systems — including a flight control computer and control laws developed by Boeing Phantom Works — are demonstrated using a Calspan Learjet specially equipped to fly autonomously as a UAV.
I'm sad to say that a lack of understanding of UAS by "previous generation" aviators is seriously hampering the UK Military keeping up with the rest of the world. Much as it sticks in throat to say it, BAeS have been developing this capability for a long time but the old-and-bold "nay-sayers" have led this country to lag far behind other nations on this technology. Like it or not, UAS or "drones" as you keep insisting on calling them are here to stay (even though some of them have jet engines these days and the original "drones" were prop jobs - hence the name!). Even in its infancy, "sense and avoid" is far more reliable to "mk 1 eyeball" in Class G. REAPER flies in Class A and B airspace in the US and it has a transponder plus a radio which transmits from the aircraft and allows crews to coordinate with ATCRUs - it's only the nervousness and lack of understanding that stops us doing something similar here. In years gone by the military flew experimental aircraft, on the verge of airworthiness, on the say so of ACAS without worrying about CAA or EASA regs - we still have this ability today, but litigation threats and unsound UAS knowledge hamper and 'roadblock' this means. The French have been doing it at Istres with an licence built IAI Heron since 2007 - they are signatory to EASA and Istres isn't exactly the "back of beyond" with regards to 3rd party liability!
The choice is stark at the moment. Get some UK segregated airspace and an airfield to fly them from or the UK Aerospace industry will fall further behind in UAS production.
Sorry for the rant old boy, but 'ludditism' would have sunk us in the past if it had not been for forward-thinkers such as Mitchell, Royce, Camm, Hawker, Chadwick, Wallis, et al... I ask you to open your mind to UAS and talk to some people in the know (and as this is so new there aren't many of us).
By the way, a UAS flying for 36hrs (which some can) at 250KTAS (which some can) gives it the ability to deploy 9000nm (or UK to Oz) - who needs AAR with flying time like that anyway? AAR could have other uses though - extending persistence over target for example.
LJ
PS There are more unmanned surveillance aircraft on the drawing board and in production than there are manned aircraft in toto - as I said before this type of flying machine is here to stay. I'm surprised that FedEx and DHL haven't gone this route as well.