Yep, from the press release:rjmaz1 said:The linkup would not be done via GPS.
Just like motion capturing for 3d animation a camera would track the movement of the hose and control the aircraft better than any human.
Finding the tanker and getting into position would be done via GPS though.
The Autonomous Airborne Refueling Demonstration (AARD) system used GPS-based relative navigation, coupled with an optical tracker, to provide the precise positioning required to put a refueling probe into the center of a 32-inch basket dangling in the air stream behind an airborne tanker.