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In order to deploy overseas today, fighters must link up with several refuelers enroute. This is complicated, especially at night. The refuelers require overseas bases and burn a lot a fuel to just link up with the fighters. The fighter pilots arrive exhausted, and the long journey causes engine wear. The US Air Force can easily expand its capabilities by adding fighter attachment points on its refueler aircraft, or their forthcoming replacement, the KC-767. Allowing a refueler to act as an "Airborne Aircraft Carrier" and ferry fighter aircraft overseas allows pilots to relax and eliminates the complex task of coordinating multiple aerial refuelings. Hardpoints on the bottom of the refueler aircraft, similar to a bomb attachment hardpoints, allow modified fighters to dock so fighter pilots can idle their engine and take a nap. When they reach their destination, the tanker crew can wake up the pilots who release themselves to land. This allows a tanker to carry several fighters to distant overseas bases. This is not a new idea, B-36 "Tom Toms" once towed fighters. (below)
Imagine eight KC-10s, each
towing three F-16C fighter-bombers, escorted by an AWACs airborne radar aircraft.
If enemy fighters approach, the 24 F-16Cs can be released to fight, otherwise they
can conduct a strike mission.
Afterwards, they can link up with the KC-10s and dock for the long ride home. This
allows a fighter-bomber squadron based in Virginia to conduct air strikes anywhere in the
world without having the pilots refuel several times and exhausted from flying. This is not ideal, but if the situation is urgent, or friendly airbases are not available, the Air Force can conduct long-range strikes in this manner. US Air Force fighter-bombers were shut out of the early stages of the war in Afghanistan when Arab nations refused use of their airbases. Airborne Aircraft Carriers would have allowed F-16s based in Diego Garcia to hitch tanker rides to strike targets in Afghanistan. This can provide the Air Force with an even greater "Global Reach," similar to Navy aircraft carriers. This may seem expensive, but an aircraft strike package from a Navy aircraft carrier requires billions of dollars of ships and 6000 crewmen. A round-trip flight by eight KC-10s is much cheaper, and doesn't need a fleet to protect the airborne aircraft carriers from being sunk. Last year, Colonel George D. Kramlinger USAF authored a detailed proposal for Airborne Aircraft Carriers. His idea is more complex in that a fighter-bomber will be able to land on the back of its carrier to rearm. This idea is more ambitious, but worthy of study because piggybacked aircraft are nothing new. The huge Space Shuttle orbiter is routinely moved in this manner. ©2006 www.G2mil.com |
The US Air Force should realize that tankers towing fighter-bombers provide very long-range strike options. The US Air Force
once deployed F-84 fighters to escort photo recon B-36s in the 1950s using the
FICON concept. (below) The F-85 "Goblin" fighter was developed
to be carried by B-36 bombers. There were other types of 