Systems and methods for controlling aircraft during in-flight refueling

A system comprising:

• a first aircraft comprising a refueling boom and sensors;
• a second aircraft comprising a fuel port;
• a control unit in communication with the sensors, wherein the control unit comprises an artificial intelligence or machine learning system, and wherein the control unit is configured to:
• receive scan data of the second vehicle from the sensors,
• associate the scan data with a three-dimensional (3D) model of the second vehicle,
• register the scan data with the 3D model to provide monitored data of the second vehicle,
• control one or more of the first aircraft, the second aircraft, or a refueling boom of the first aircraft based on the monitored data, and
• record atmospheric data during each refueling operation to allow for the artificial intelligence or machine learning system to learn and determine desired environments for future refueling operations;
• and
• a user interface including a display, wherein the control unit is further configured to show information regarding a refueling process on the display.

A method for allowing a first vehicle to refuel a second vehicle, the method comprising:

• acquiring, by sensors of the first vehicle, scan data of the second vehicle;
• receiving, by a control unit in communication with the sensors, the scan data of the second vehicle from the sensors;
• associating, by the control unit, the scan data with a three-dimensional (3D) model of the second vehicle;
• registering, by the control unit, the scan data with the 3D model to provide monitored data of the second vehicle;
• and
• controlling, by the control unit, one or more of the first vehicle, the second vehicle, or a refueling boom of the first vehicle based on the monitored data.