Patent ID: 8317136

Claim:
A stabilized controllable drogue assembly for an inflight aerial refueling system, comprising: a reception coupling having a forward portion and a trailing edge portion, said forward portion of said reception coupling being configured to be connected to a fuel supply hose trailed from a tanker aircraft during aerial refueling, and said trailing edge portion of said reception coupling including an open rearward throat section configured to connect with a refueling probe of a receiver aircraft that is refueling; a paradrogue frame including a plurality of leading edge struts and a plurality of leading edge positioning arms, said plurality of leading edge struts each having a leading end and a trailing end, said plurality of leading edge struts being pivotally mounted to the trailing edge portion of the reception coupling, each of said plurality of leading edge positioning arms including a radially inner end and a radially outer end, said radially inner end of the leading edge positioning arms being pivotally connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of leading edge struts near or at a trailing end of said corresponding one of said plurality of leading edge struts, said radially outer end of the plurality of leading edge positioning arms is rotatably movable between a relatively radially inward position and a relatively radially outward position; a drogue canopy having a leading edge and a trailing edge, said drogue canopy being fixedly attached between the trailing ends of the leading edge struts and the radially outer ends of the leading edge positioning arm; at least one actuator mounted on said reception coupling; a control cable having an aft end, said aft end of said control cable being connected to a control portion of a corresponding one of said plurality of leading edge positioning arms, said control cable having a forward end connected to said at least one actuator operative to move the control cable to cause the leading edge positioning arm and the leading edge of the drogue canopy to move radially outwardly, and to thereby cause a portion of the stabilized controllable drogue assembly to move radially outward.