Which was required due the huge amounts of aerodynamic drag produced by aircraft designed for supersonic flight while flying subsonic. These design are very aer

Which was required due the huge amounts of aerodynamic drag produced by aircraft designed for supersonic flight while flying subsonic. These design are very aerodynamically inefficient outside their cruise speeds, and thus require a lot of thrust. This phase of flight extends all the way from take-off, and climb out. Not just while barreling down the runway. Having an extended subsonic flight period to do a mid-air refuelling would be brutal to the financial viability of a supersonic passenger aircraft. And that's even before we consider the operational costs of the tanker aircraft