During the air refueling, the aerodynamic force and the vortex field of the refueling tanker aircraft would greatly affect the manipulation of the refueling aircraft, and it is important to study this impact. This paper studies the cross-lateral dynamic stability and controllability of the air refueling tanker aircraft. The aerodynamic force and the vortex field of the refueling tanker aircraft on the wing of the refueling aircraft are determined through a simplified aerodynamic model. These forces and moments are expressed in a derivative form to be applied in the linear equations of motion. It is shown that the aerial refueling tanker aircraft would experience a divergent oscillation, mainly composed of tilt and lateral movement. By the manipulation of ailerons to control the divergence continuous mode, the aircraft may keep stable. The results of the present paper may serve as a theoretical basis for action that can be taken for other types of manipulation and other types of refueling aircraft.
