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Detail view of the port wingtipMk.32B pod installation. Note that at this time many panels were removed from the aircraft to provide access to systems for initial ground testing. The recess in the aft lower part of the pod conceals the pod status indicator lights.
RAAF Recei ves First 707 Tanker
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Raaf Accepts First 707 Tanker
One of the most significant yet least publicised capabilities to be acquired by the RAAF in this decade is that of inflight refuelling.
The inflight refuelling tanker is a potent force multiplier in nearly all defensive and offensiv “
narios, providing fighter and strike aircraft with substantial gains in effective payload radius performance. In practical terms this translates into greater time on station for air superiority aircraft and larger weapon loads at greater radii for strike aircraft.
The first major application of inflight refuelling in a real conflict took place during the Vietnam conflict, where USAF SAC tankers supported not only strategic aircraft, but also tactical fighters which were based in Thailand and South Vietnam. It was here that the tanker proved its worth in tactical air warfare, allowing fighters and strike aircraft to enter and exit hostile airspace along tactically favourable routes with substantial weapon loads. SAC KC-135s saved many tactical fighters from an unenviable fate when their pilots ran their tanks dry in afterburning dogfights deep inside hostile territory.
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