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Get the tanker ready first
A tanker is an aircraft that can pass fuel to other aircraft in flight. Use TRACK or ANCHOR to set where it will fly. Check AF, the fuel it can pass to other aircraft, as well as F, the fuel it needs for itself. Seeing a tanker on the map does not tell you whether it has enough fuel for every fighter.
Send the fighter to the tanker
- Find the fighter that needs more fuel. If it is flying with other fighters, check their fuel too.
- Right-click that fighter and choose REFUEL.
- After choosing REFUEL, check the name and type of the tanker you intend to use. If TASKING SELECT (ASMA) appears, check that it asks for a tanker; this message can be omitted when you use the other fighter in a pair. Click the intended tanker.
- Look for REFUEL ASSIGNED (ASMA). Check that the message names the fighters and tanker you intended. If it says REFUEL FAILED (ASMA), read the reason before trying again.
- Watch the fighters fly to the tanker and move into position to take fuel. Check that their fuel increases; an accepted order does not mean they have already refuelled.
Back out before choosing a tanker
If you have pressed REFUEL but have not chosen a tanker, press Escape to leave tanker selection. If you started the selection in AC Control, its CANCEL button clears that unfinished choice. Neither control undoes a refuelling order that has already been accepted.
If you want an airborne fighter to leave its fuel task and come back to land, follow the RTB steps. Then check every affected fighter’s fuel and task in ACTIVE OPS. Do not treat closing a menu as an order to bring the aircraft home.
The order can send more than one fighter
The order can include the other fighters launched in the same group, where they are able to refuel. Check all their fuel levels and allow enough tanker fuel and time for them. Do not assume the order affects only the fighter you clicked.
If you selected the wrong aircraft
A click on an unsuitable aircraft can end tanker selection without a warning. If no REFUEL ASSIGNED message appears, start again from the fighter’s REFUEL control and choose a usable tanker that is already flying. Check its callsign and type, and read any failure message that appears.
Check the result before the next order
Read the fighters’ fuel and current task in ACTIVE OPS. Then use IDENT to investigate or SHADOW to follow a contact, CAP to patrol an area, or RTB to return and land, as needed. Avoid repeatedly pressing REFUEL while the fighters are still approaching the tanker.
If the right-click menu is disabled
Select the fighter, open AC Control and choose ENABLE RIGHT CLICK MENU. AC Control also has the main task buttons.
Follow the fuel, not just the order
| Stage | What you can see | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Order accepted | REFUEL ASSIGNED names the aircraft and tanker. | Check the callsigns. The fighters still have to fly to the tanker; their tanks have not been filled by the order. |
| Approaching | The fighters move towards the tanker and adjust their position and height. | Watch their progress. A joining or approach radio call alone is not proof that fuel has moved. |
| Taking fuel | During successful refuelling, watch each fighter’s F reading over time to check that its remaining fuel is rising. Rounding, display updates and fuel being used by the aircraft can affect when a change becomes visible. | Check each fighter by callsign in ACTIVE OPS. The tanker’s AF is a shared supply for other aircraft; it is not a separate allocation for each fighter. |
| Leaving the tanker | REFUEL COMPLETE can describe a return to tasking, continuation of the mission or RTB. | Read the whole message and check the current task and destination. Do not assume every fighter returns to the same job. |
The game controls the close approach and fuel transfer. Your job is to check the aircraft, fuel and next task. A radio call or a change of course is useful context; the fighter’s own fuel reading confirms what it received.
If the fuel figure is not increasing
- Check whether the game is paused. Fuel does not transfer while the simulation is paused.
- Find the same fighter in ACTIVE OPS and compare its F reading over time. The display rounds percentages, so a small transfer may not change the displayed number immediately.
- Check whether it is still approaching the tanker or adjusting its height. Aircraft drawn close together on the map have not necessarily reached the position needed to take fuel.
- Check the tanker’s F and AF, and whether it is still flying its task rather than returning or landing. If it is no longer usable, the fighter may switch to another tanker or start returning to land. Follow the actual aircraft and ASMA messages.
- If the approach or fuel reading stays stuck while time is running, record the problem with both aircraft types and callsigns, fuel readings, current tasks and the order you gave. Include whether either aircraft was transferring bases and whether you loaded a save. Avoid repeatedly reassigning different tankers while recording the sequence.
A disconnect does not always mean full tanks
TANKER DRY means the tanker has no usable fuel left to give; the fighter may look for another tanker or return to land. TANKER DRY - LOW FUEL and FUEL EMERGENCY require an immediate check of its fuel and return. A RESUME TASKING call alone does not prove that its tanks are full.
Check every fighter’s F and current task before giving another job. A fighter can resume an earlier task after successful refuelling, or return to base when there is no task to resume. Follow the retasking procedure if you deliberately want another job, and RTB when you want it to land.
If you loaded a save during refuelling or the return flight
In v0.8.16.0, a valid save records the fighter’s fuel and task. Loading does not fill its tanks. Use the loaded-game checks, then find every affected fighter by callsign in ACTIVE OPS. Check F, its current task and the tanker or landing destination. You do not need to give another REFUEL order just because you did not hear the joining call again.
If it is still heading to a tanker, follow the transfer checks above while time is running. If it is returning to base, follow its return and landing. Read the current ASMA messages and check each fighter again after it leaves the tanker. If the loaded task or fuel stays wrong, keep the original save and include it in your report.