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NASA Global Hawks Aid UAV-to-UAV Refueling Project

NASA's two Global Hawks – one configured as a tanker and the other as a receiver – fly in trail formation.
NASA’s two Global Hawks – one configured as a tanker and the other as a receiver – fly in trail formation during the DARPA-Northrop Grumman autonomous UAV-to-UAV aerial refueling research project.
Credits: Northrop Grumman Photo

Northrop Grumman Corp. and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in cooperation with NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, recently completed a research project demonstrating autonomous aerial refueling between two unmanned, high-altitude aircraft.

NASA’s two Global Hawk aircraft, one outfitted as a receiver and the other as a tanker, flew a series of demonstration flights in restricted airspace near Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., between January and May 2012 to validate the advanced UAV-to-UAV aerial refueling control system technology.
Results of the DARPA-funded research effort were detailed in news releases issued Oct. 5 by Northrop Grumman and DARPA.

NASA's two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, one with a refueling hose trailing behind, fly in close formation.
NASA’s two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, one with a refueling hose trailing behind, fly in close formation during the DARPA-Northrop Grumman UAV-to-UAV aerial refueling demonstration.
Credits: Northrop Grumman Photo

Read Northrop Grumman release:

http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=10007491

Read DARPA release:

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2012/10/05.aspx

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