Originally Posted by TBM-Legend
The Charlie model has a probe. I guess plumbing a fleet of RCAF birds shouldn't be too difficult.
I'm not sure that's necessarily the case. Just off the top of my head (maybe through it), it would require the plumbing, controls and indicators, significant fuselage modification, hydraulic actuators, relocation of equipment in that area and all the changes associated with that. The C-model refuelling equipment would not necessarily fit into the A without a degree of redesign.
All the above would necessitate changes to manufacture, retooling and separate assembly areas. Then you've got testing and certification of the installation and re-evaluating the RCS. All that for how many airframes?
Maybe the refuelling system could be redesigned, but it could well be expensive, time-consuming (in a program that's already late and over-budget) and may come with other penalties. I'm not sure LM or the JPO would have much appetite for it at the moment. I can imagine the U.S. response being something like, "You've come all this way, why do you want to start major changes to the program now?"