Wednesday, March 21, 2012

F2H-3/4 Inflight Refueling Probe Installation

All USN carrier-based jets received inflight refueling capability in the late 1950s. The F2H-2B Banshee was one of the first, in conjunction with its assignment to the nuclear strike mission, with the probe being installed in place of one of the right 20 mm cannon ports. For some reason, the F2H-3/4 refueling probe was relocated to a cannon port on the left side of the fuselage and a ventral fairing was added as well.

Unfortunately, I don't have good drawings of the installation or even the added length of the probe.

The ventral fairing ran from just aft of the nose wheel well to almost the aft end of the J34 engine.

The probe extended straight out of the upper left gun port

The probe fairing covered the original blast shield and then some

The probe tip was pretty complex

1 comment:

  1. That underbelly fairing was probably plumbing from the AAR probe back to a connection to the fuel system...

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