Isn't this a completely different thing? This is used for manned aircraft refueling, where the job of the drone is just to fly as straight and level as possible

Isn't this a completely different thing? This is used for manned aircraft refueling, where the job of the drone is just to fly as straight and level as possible, and the receiving aircraft that is flown by a human has the much harder job of maintaining formation. In the Airbus system, the refueler plane takes automated control of the receiving plane, and maintains formation using controls on both planes.