Why Pilots Need to Drop Fuel Tanks When Under Attack

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[oscarzheng]

That question is quite obvious: yes, they need to drop fuel tanks so their jet is lighter and more aerodynamic therefore making the jet faster and more maneuverable.

[GrandsPas]

When a fighter aircraft has loads under its wings (bombs, fuel tanks), the FBW system limits the AOA and/or the max G the plane can pull in order to perserve the airframe's integrity and preventing it from going out of its flight enveloppe. On a F-16, with fuel tanks and bombs, you are in Cat III and limited to 5.5 G. If you have hostile airplanes that come to intercept you, you can't dogfight 9G fighters when you're limited to 5.5G. So you need to drop the extra load and switch to Cat I where you can pull much more G and have a higher roll rate and AOA limit.

[EdwardTilley]

Good video. I'm a recreational pilot and I didn't realize fighters had these drop tanks standardly. You learn something new every day.

[NapoleonGarcia]

Back during World War II, however, attack pilots found a secondary use for drop tanks as improvised bombs, used to bombard enemy ground positions. Drop tanks became popular in the late 1930s as a means for fighters to carry more fuel for longer escort and patrol missions.

[jasonconrad]

In 🇻🇳 pilots dropped them between downed pilots & NVC to create a fireline of defense to buy pilots more time to escape to safety.

[kristendancer]

Two thirds of this video is about fuel and it's manufacturing and storage within the military and civilian worlds. Point in case, United States Navy Underway Replenishment has absolutely nothing to do with "why pilots need to drop external fuel tanks when under attack". Perhaps a more focused approach on content would be helpful.

[geomodelrailroader]

There are two reasons why they drop their tanks 1. drop tanks are loaded with explosive fuel which can be used as an incendiary bomb if the enemy hits them the plane can blow up and 2. drop tanks are heavy and induce drag by pickling a drop tank the fighter goes much faster but at a cost when the dogfight is over they are out of gas and have to dock with a tanker to refuel to get home.

[ethanboyd]

It's done in training and non-combat missions all the time. We spend 304 Million on F-35 and spend 865 Billion a year on our military my man. The cost of a tank of gas is a non-factor.

[unknown]

i always wonder why they never drop this gigantic bomb, turns out it was a extra fuel tank

[jerrybot]

This went from fighter jets dropping fuel tanks to general fuel storage solutions for transportation industry and other applications.

[saiprasad]

YouTube recommends this video-- me looking at my F15 in my garage.

[hirosetoshihiro]

燃料タンクを落とすのは「戦闘前」からだよ。It's from "before the battle" that the fuel tanks are dropped.

[simongee]

Hard to believe that this video is even considered necessary. If you're being attacked you lose the external fuel tanks immediately. A hit with even one tracer round, and you're finished.

[jaz-J]

Hai.. Dari Malaysia.. 🙋‍♂️🇲🇾Apa khabar semua... Informasi menarik dan menambahkan pengetahuan.. 👍

[Urugami]

I loved all the ship's stickers on the fuel probe at 8:50

[TyphoonJetPilotMeteb]

Greetings
Saudi Aramco and Royal Saudi Air Force 🇸🇦

[spacepandashark]

I got the answer for you. Liquid is heavy af so in a dogfight being faster than the enemy is better so dropping extra weight always helps

[sgtborg]

They also have centerline tanks too and they use up the fuel in drop tanks and then punch them off for less drag and to reduce weight

[g]

if you dont want to watch this video for 10 minutes just for the answer, here it is: reduce drag

[yuuyjaaj]

Because they can be used as makeshift bombs