B47stratojetAssoc history Chapter 20

As mentioned in the previous post in this series, early in 1953, two B-47Bs were converted for trials with the British developed hose and drogue aerial refueling system. One of them was to be a tanker, the other the receiver. The tanker was redesignated as a KB-47G, and the receiver was redesignated as a YB-47F.

The KB-47G was a single B-47B (serial number 50-040) modified as an experimental hose tanker for the refueling of the YB-47F that was fitted with a refueling probe in its nose. During the refueling operation, a hose and drogue system was unreeled from the bomb bay of the KB-47G, and the YB-47F would fly below and behind and use a nose probe to engage a basket trailed from the end of the hose.

The method did not prove to be practical for the in-flight refueling of the B-47, and the established flying boom system was used for the refueling of subsequent models.

The Stratojet tanker concept was briefly revised in mid 1956, when it was found that the KB-50s of the Tactical Air Command lacked the speed and altitude performance to refuel the new Century Series fighters. On July 23, 1956, the Air Force authorized the development of a KB-47 two-drogue prototype tanker. However, the cost of the KB-47 conversion promised to be excessively high, and it was found that the addition of two auxiliary jet engines to the KB-50 provided a satisfactory albeit temporary solution to the speed problem. The Air Force canceled the KB-47 program on July 11, 1957.