New refueling system with 200,000-gallon capacity tested by US Air Force

The US Air Force recently conducted its first hot-pit refueling operation using the R-20 expeditionary refueling system to support a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter within the U.S. Central Command area. This new system allows the helicopter to remain running while refueling directly from a bulk fuel bladder, rather than relying on the traditional R-11 fuel truck. This innovation significantly reduces aircraft ground time by 66%, cutting the typical cold refueling process from up to 75 minutes to a much shorter duration, thereby enhancing mission responsiveness and conserving limited refueling assets in deployed environments. The R-20 system offers substantial improvements over the R-11, including a much larger fuel capacity and faster fueling rates. Each R-20 hose can deliver up to 450 gallons per minute, with dual hoses capable of 900 gallons per minute, and it connects directly to bulk fuel bladders holding over 200,000 gallons—far exceeding the R-11’s 6,