Guy Alcala wrote:
After that the USAF decided to go
over completely to the boom/receptacle method, as their tankers would
(presumably) always have airbases to operate from, just as their fighters and
bombers would. The boom gives better transfer rates and seems to be more
reliable and easier to tank from, but it does limit the types of a/c that can
be tankers, and it requires a lot more money and work to convert.

Will the F-35B be the first USAF aircraft since then to be built with
just a probe?

-HJC