Dynamical Analysis of the Hose–Drogue System Considering Attitude Changes

The hose–drogue system is highly sensitive to aerodynamic disturbances and aircraft maneuvers during aerial refueling, posing risks to operational safety. This paper develops a multibody dynamic model based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF), incorporating standard atmospheric models, tanker wake effects, and a compliant penalty-based drogue–probe constraint. The transient responses to tanker roll/pitch maneuvers and receiver vertical disturbances are systematically analyzed. Our findings clarify the nonlinear dynamics of the hose–drogue system considering tanker/receiver's attitude changes and provide a foundation for structural risk assessment and control design.