USS Shangri-La flight ops, 1969

[Pilot Fighter]

Looks pretty different to me, notably with a lack of RAT on the front. That being said, I'm wondering what the purpose of this is? I can understand it for the Indian Navy Flankers, but aside from conventional CVN ops, you don't really get anything out of buddy tanking.....and even then, it doesn't buy you much outside of recovery gas and robbing a couple jets off the roof each day that could otherwise be used for other purposes and not getting hammered with extra traps and flight hours

Then again, I guess it is better than nothing if your local Air Force doesn't own any big wing tanker aircraft.

They must have used a stock photo of a US buddy store when the story ran. Same company (Cobham) is producing them.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Looks pretty different to me, notably with a lack of RAT on the front.

What is that little pinwheel in the front of that thing?

http://www.cobham.com/about-cobham/...efuelling-pods/754-buddy-store-datasheet.aspx

 

[Roger Roger]

They must have used a stock photo of a US buddy store when the story ran. Same company (Cobham) is producing them.

Ahh, cobham...good ol' military industrial complex.