An American Boeing KC-135 tanker aircraft has, for the first time in history, refueled three Russian-made Su-30MKM fighters in the air over Subang Air Base, according to the Eurasian Times.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), the aircrew of the 141st Air Refueling Squadron refueled three Su-30MKM aircraft belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
The pilots used a multipoint refueling system, which allows refueling using a boom and drogue device.
Former Indian Air Force pilot Anil Chopra commented on this event.
The probe-and-drogue system allows multiple fighters to be refueled simultaneously, which is why it is used by NATO countries' fighters. The pilot controls the aircraft and extends the probe to attach it to the drogue.
It is known that in 2022, an Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter was refueled in the air by a French Air Force Boeing C-135FR aircraft en route to Australia.
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