摘要 |
A dropable main fuel tank that comprises a portion of an aircrafts lower fuselage or part of the wing structure contains all nonessential fuel for takeoff or landing. Airfoils, parachute, or rocket motor built into the main fuel tank will separate the main fuel tank from the aircraft quickly when dropped or released in a possible crash situation, thus preventing the aircraft from being consumed by its own nonessential fuel in a crash. A nondroppable auxiliary fuel tank on the aircraft will sustain the aircraft after the main fuel tank has been dropped. The auxiliary fuel tank contains only enough fuel for takeoff and landing. Shackels and parallel tracks hold the droppable main fuel tank in place on the aircraft until the main fuel tank is released for subsequent ejection rearward. In refueling the aircraft an external control panel on the aircraft will release the main fuel tank onto a refueling vehicle for refueling at a nearby fuel dump.
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