Flight test verification of the Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) functionality on JAS39 Gripen was performed during 2005. The tests were conducted during two campaigns with two different tankers, a South African Air Force Boeing 707 and a Swedish Air Force C-130. The first AAR flight with a functional Gripen system was performed in 2005. Previously, flights with a "mock-up" installation were performed in 1998 to determine a suitable position for the probe installation and evaluate if the Flight Control System had to be modified. The JAS39 Gripen has since the mock-up tests been equipped with a fully retractable telescopic probe placed on the left hand side of the aircraft. This paper describes the technical verification of the AAR functionality on the JAS39 Gripen aircraft. The road to flight test, tested envelope, test results and a brief description of the lessons learned from the test campaigns are provided.
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