Patent ID: 9150310
Filing Date: 2015-10-06
Classification: B64D

Abstract:
1. A method for aerial refueling situational awareness, said method comprising: providing, to a display, a video image of an aircraft in a refueling environment; automatically identifying, by a processor, a type of aircraft when an aircraft to be refueled enters the refueling environment; providing at least one video overlay over the video image of the aircraft based on the identification of the type of aircraft, the at least one video overlay indicative of a positional relationship between the aircraft to be refueled and a tanker aircraft, the at least one video overlay including at least one guidance cue configured to assist in aligning an aerial refueling boom coupled to the tanker aircraft with respect to a receptacle coupled to the aircraft to be refueled such that the aerial refueling boom is coupleable to the receptacle, wherein the at least one guidance cue comprises a first receptacle video overlay indicating a position of the refueling receptacle on the at least one video overlay based on the identification of the aircraft, and wherein the at least one guidance cue comprises a second receptacle video overlay indicating a position of the refueling receptacle on the video image of the aircraft; and determining, by the processor, at least one of a number of fuel pumps and a fuel flow rate to be used by the aerial refueling boom based at least in part on the type of aircraft to be refueled.