fixed S-3B tanker AI refueling pod lights and AI pushing basket back into the Pod

[Stackup]

An interesting thing I noticed when watching AI refuel was that the AI Hornet pushed the basket all the way back to the pod and I even saw the basket begin the collapse animation as it was pushe almost fully back into the pod by the F-18.  This is the first time I have ever seen the AI fail at aerial refueling.  I started the F-18's at 50% fuel and they fell off the basket twice by pushing it all the way to the pod before they finally finished tanking.

In addition, I believe the lights on the pod are wrong.  Everything I have read and seen about Aerial refueling is that the pod shows a red light when fuel is not flowing and a green when it is.  To achieve the green light, you push the hose in a couple of feet using markings on the hose(markings not modeled yet in DCS) and fuel should start flowing. 

When the AI was tanking, all the pod lights(red and green) were flashing and when the aircraft hooked up they kept flashing until the hose had been pushed in someways and then the green light went out while the red light stayed on but stopped flashing.  This is incorrect and not the way it works on the KC-135 or the KC-130 either.

Hornet pushes basket all the way back to the pod.trk

[Flash_111]

I have noticed this as well. I also observed an AI aircraft flaming out and ejecting while in this state so I'm not sure if fuel is even flowing at all from the new S3 to AI aircraft.

[todd022]

Also, the little power generating prop on the front of the S-3 refueling pod should be spinning in flight. That animation isn't modeled (still prop).

[Northstar98]

14 hours ago, todd022 said:

Also, the little power generating prop on the front of the S-3 refueling pod should be spinning in flight. That animation isn't modeled (still prop).

The RAT does spin when the drogue is deployed/transitioning between stowed and deployed (and vice versa).

And this (more or less) is how it indeed appears to work IRL.

[2circle]

I'm seeing this as well, even from the KC-135 when refueling Navy aircraft.  The other day my F-18 AI wingman took much longer than normal to refuel, and I even observed an F-14 that never fully refueled, essentially breaking the mission since no other aircraft were able to refuel.  Here's a screenshot of an AI wingman jousting with the basket.  Notice the probe protruding past the basket.

This never happened before the 2.9 release.  Anyone else seeing this?

[Flappie]

Issue reported. Thanks for the track.

[Flappie]

Fixed with today's update (2.9.3.51704).

[2circle]

On 2/22/2024 at 12:01 PM, Flappie said:

Fixed with today's update (2.9.3.51704).

That's great news - thanks for the update and for looking into this issue!