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My first guess is that they would catastrophically fail - but I also read the Eurocopter Cougar has propeller blades that will withstand the impact of a 20mm round (I'm guessing other military helicopters are similar).

Is it likely that the probe could bounce off or is it a pretty much guaranteed byebye scenario?

Also could the rotor become entangled in the hose or would it simply slice it?

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It would chop it right off.

Watch the video. It's fun. When the helicopter pitches up right after refueling, the rotor disc cannot follow the movement (its hinges allow the blades to pitch up and down, and inertia makes it change its plane of rotation only slowly). The refueling probe is cut cleanly in half.

However, I would not try this on purpose. The risk of damaging a blade is considerable. I am sure the rotor blades needed to be replaced after that incident.

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    $\begingroup$ I'll keep it in mind if for the extremely unlikely scenario that I would ever have to refuel a helicopter in mid air. DONT CRASH DONT DIE OHNO DONT HIT THE PROBE. Thanks. $\endgroup$
    – papirtiger
    Commented Jun 26, 2015 at 4:57
  • $\begingroup$ It is not because of the rotor inertia. It is because the rotor pitch controls the helicopter pitch. The helicopter pitched up so to get its nose down the rotor needed to pitch down and that is what the pilot did did. $\endgroup$
    – user74200
    Commented Oct 21 at 21:26
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Apparently it snips the probe off. No report of wether the rotor was damaged, the probe may have been built with this in mind, and thus out of weaker materials than the rotor blades.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAdpKpppZiA

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    $\begingroup$ I don't know, but if it was me, I'd much rather have what essentially amounts to a hose cut off, than the rotor blades. And design both accordingly. With plenty of margin for error. $\endgroup$
    – user
    Commented Jun 26, 2015 at 12:42

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