FEED: What Is Hot Pit Refueling? The USAF Is Adding Dozens Of These Rapid-Fuel Sites

In war, time can be of the essence, and one of the important capabilities of an air force is rapidly getting its airplanes back into the sky. Hot-pit refueling is a simple idea – a military aircraft lands at the base and keeps its engines running as the ground crew fills it up on the spot. The aircraft can then take off and get back into action without spending time cooling down or going into the hangar. Some emphasis has been placed on hot-pit refueling the KC-135 Stratotanker – one of the Air Force's principal aerial refueling aircraft.