This Is What The Boom Operator's Station On The New KC-46 Tanker Actually Looks Like
We finally are getting a good look at the KC-46's most controversial feature.
By Tyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickApril 2, 2019
The War Zone
Probably the most controversial feature on the USAF's new KC-46 Pegasus tanker is its Aerial Refueling Operator Station (AROS). The KC-46 abandoned the tried and true boom pod that puts the boom operator looking out the back of the jet through a window and replaced it with a series of multi-spectral cameras distributed around the aircraft and a hybrid 3D/2D remote system for operating the boom itself. The operators sit in the front of the aircraft at a two-person station that looks like something out of drone command trailer more than a high-flying gas station. In the past, we have seen photos of the system mocked up on the ground and in simulators, now Altus AFB has published a variety of images showing off the real McCoy during an actual mission.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/27268/this-is-what-the-remote-boom-operators-station-on-a-kc-46-tanker-really-looks-like
