Forward area refueling equipment: FARE and AAFARS

Forward Area Refueling Equipment (FARE) is the Army's portable equipment for pumping, filtering, and dispensing fuel in forward areas.

FARE identifies equipment, while a forward arming and refueling point (FARP) describes the facility and its support mission. FARE-2 establishes 2 refueling points for ground vehicles and can also refuel aircraft. (ATP 4-43, appendix A)

What is FARE refueling?

FARE refueling uses a deployable pump-and-hose system to transfer fuel from a source to receiving equipment. The source can be collapsible drums, larger fabric tanks, or compatible tank vehicles.

The name needs a version check. Army publications list an earlier FARE under technical manual (TM) 10-4930-238-12&P. FARE-2 has a different equipment identity and manual, TM 10-4930-366-13&P. (FARE manual record, FARE-2 manual record)

The specifications below describe FARE-2 as presented in Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 4-43, dated April 18, 2022. They should not be assigned automatically to every older FARE kit or aircraft-mounted refueling arrangement.

FARE-2 is containerized and can move by truck or utility or cargo helicopter. That makes the equipment transportable without making it a tanker truck. Fuel storage and replenishment still need their own plan. (ATP 4-43, paragraph A-160)

What components are in the FARE system?

FARE-2 combines a pump, filter-separator, fuel drums, hoses, couplings, and dispensing nozzles. Each component has a different job between the fuel source and the receiver.

ATP 4-43 lists the following equipment in paragraphs A-160 through A-163. (ATP 4-43, FARE-2 equipment)

The publication describes 6 drums in the supply arrangement. There are 2 on site, 2 traveling for refill, and 2 returning full.

That distinction explains why equipment descriptions can mention either 2 or 6 drums. The first figure describes the operating source; the second includes the replenishment rotation. Counting 6 drums does not mean 6 refueling points.

The publication also states that FARE-2 cannot pump different fuel types simultaneously. More than 1 outlet does not create independent fuel systems. (ATP 4-43, paragraphs A-161 and A-162)

What is the FARE flow rate?

FARE-2 supplies 50 GPM at each of 2 points simultaneously, or 90 GPM at 1 point. ATP 4-43 states that both source drums must operate simultaneously to achieve the rated flow. (ATP 4-43, paragraph A-160)

The 100-GPM pump description is therefore not a promise of 100 GPM at every nozzle. Equipment rating, system configuration, and delivery at an individual point describe different things.

Keep those labels attached when copying specifications into a comparison. A table headed only “flow rate” can hide whether its numbers mean pump capacity, total delivery, or delivery per point.

The published figures describe the identified configuration. They do not replace the applicable manual's operating limits or establish a complete aircraft turnaround time.

How does AAFARS differ from FARE?

The Advanced Aviation Forward Area Refueling System (AAFARS) supports 4 aircraft refueling points, compared with FARE-2's 2 points. ATP 3-04.17 specifies at least 55 GPM at each AAFARS point simultaneously. (ATP 3-04.17, paragraph 2-27)

AAFARS has its own pump, filtration equipment, lightweight hoses, and dry-break connections. ATP 3-04.17 describes 500-gallon collapsible drums as its primary fuel source.

These figures come from ATP 4-43, paragraphs A-152 and A-160, and ATP 3-04.17, paragraph 2-27. (ATP 4-43, ATP 3-04.17)

AAFARS is a distinct system with its own manuals. The M100A1 operator and field maintenance manual is TM 10-4930-351-13, dated April 4, 2011. (AAFARS M100A1 manual record)

FARE vs HEMTT tanker: what changes?

FARE is separate dispensing equipment; the M978 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) tanker carries fuel and onboard pumping equipment.

Adding the HEMTT Tanker Aviation Refueling System (HTARS) gives the tanker hoses, fittings, and nozzles for aircraft servicing. ATP 3-04.17 describes up to 4 simultaneous points using the truck's onboard fuel-servicing pump. (ATP 3-04.17, paragraph 2-30)

The practical comparison includes transport and replenishment. A drum-fed system needs movement of its equipment and fuel supply. A tanker-based system brings vehicle-mounted storage but depends on access for that vehicle.

An Army account of operations in Afghanistan illustrates the distinction. The unit trained with air-delivered AAFARS equipment and fuel drums, and with ground-convoyed M978 tankers using HTARS. Those were separate methods of supporting the same refueling mission. (Jump FARP operations in Afghanistan)

Which Army technical manual covers FARE?

The correct manual depends on the exact equipment version, not just the word FARE. Use the equipment model and national stock number (NSN) to select it.

The Army Publishing Directorate lists these manuals as active. Publication dates identify the base manuals; they do not establish which changes are installed in a particular copy. (Army technical manuals, range 10)

To select a manual:

1. Read the equipment identification plate and record its model and NSN.
2. Match those identifiers against the Army publication record.
3. Check the manual's change status before using its procedures.

The guide to Army TM numbers explains the publication numbering system. The equipment identity still determines which manual applies.

How does FARE fit a FARP?

FARE can provide the fuel-dispensing part of a FARP; it does not provide the entire facility. A FARP also needs personnel, aircraft control, communications, supply arrangements, and the applicable support and safety provisions. (ATP 3-04.17)

The FARP guide covers that broader organization. Equipment selection answers how fuel reaches the aircraft. FARP planning answers how the whole support point functions.

What to do next

• Identify whether the equipment is FARE, FARE-2, AAFARS, or HTARS.
• Match the model and NSN to the correct Army manual.
• Label flow figures as pump ratings or delivery per refueling point.
• Include fuel replenishment and transport in the equipment comparison.
• Read ATP 3-04.17 alongside the equipment manual and unit standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Azcuna's ELLMENT for the CH-47 puts the Chinook's public technical manuals, the Army sling-load manuals and a unit's own SOPs on a laptop or tablet that answers a repairer's or flight engineer's question with no network and cites the manual and page. Azcuna submitted it as a concept white paper to the Army's xTech|Search 10 competition in October 2026.

Questions people ask

What is forward area refueling equipment?

Forward Area Refueling Equipment, or FARE, is deployable fuel pumping, filtering, and dispensing equipment. Army Techniques Publication 4-43 describes FARE-2 as a 2-point system for wheeled and tracked vehicles that can also refuel aircraft. It uses an external fuel source, such as collapsible drums.

What is the FARE-2 flow rate?

Army Techniques Publication 4-43 gives FARE-2 a delivery rate of 50 gallons per minute at each of 2 points simultaneously, or 90 gallons per minute at 1 point. Both operating source drums must be used simultaneously to achieve the rated fuel flow.

What is the difference between FARE and AAFARS?

FARE-2 has 2 refueling points, while the Advanced Aviation Forward Area Refueling System has 4. Army Techniques Publication 3-04.17 specifies at least 55 gallons per minute at each AAFARS point simultaneously. The systems have different equipment identities and manuals, so their specifications should remain separate.

Is FARE the same as a HEMTT tanker?

FARE is separate dispensing equipment. The M978 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck tanker carries fuel and has onboard pumping equipment. Army Techniques Publication 3-04.17 explains that the HEMTT Tanker Aviation Refueling System adds hoses, fittings, and nozzles for up to 4 simultaneous aircraft refueling points.

What technical manual covers FARE-2?

The Army Publishing Directorate lists TM 10-4930-366-13&P for FARE-2, national stock number 4930-01-561-4720. The base publication date is April 30, 2009. Earlier FARE equipment has a different manual, TM 10-4930-238-12&P, so the equipment identity must be checked before selecting instructions.

Sources

1. 1ATP 4-43, Petroleum Supply Operations, April 18, 2022, appendix A · Department of the Army, mirrored on Scribd
2. 2ATP 3-04.17, Techniques for Forward Arming and Refueling Points, with Change 1 · Department of the Army
3. 3TM 10-4930-238-12&P record: Forward Area Refueling Equipment · Army Publishing Directorate
4. 4TM 10-4930-366-13&P record: FARE-2 · Army Publishing Directorate
5. 5TM 10-4930-351-13 record: AAFARS M100A1 · Army Publishing Directorate
6. 6Army technical manuals, range 10 · Army Publishing Directorate
7. 7Jump FARP operations in Afghanistan · U.S. Army

Where this shows up in our work

• ELLMENT for the CH-47 Chinook answers a repairer's or flight engineer's question from the Chinook's manuals and the Army sling-load manuals and cites the page, with no network.
• TRACE, the offline S1000D and IETM viewer opens S1000D, MIL-STD-3001 and PDF technical manuals on a tablet with every marking intact.