Abstract: While a refueling hose-drogue is affected by airflow, aerodynamic instability phenomenon occurs, which has serious influences on the safety and success rate of refueling flight. The wake field of the tanker is the most important factor affecting the hose-drogue stability. The wind tunnel test technique for aerodynamic stability of refueling hose-drogue of aerial tanker is studied in this paper. The similarity criteria is established and analyzed, and the displacement measurement method by binocular system is presented. The retraction-extension of refueling hose is implemented by automatic steering engine, and the complete wind tunnel test technique is formed for aerodynamic stability of refueling hose-drogue. This technique is applied to the configuration optimization of refueling fuselage and central platform for one aerial tanker. The results show that this test technique can simulate the hose-drogue stability within tanker's wake field for the retraction-extension phase and fixed length state. The vertical sinkage value and vibration amplitude obtained by the test can evaluate different fuselage and central platform configurations, and can provide reliable data for flying tests and configuration optimizations of key refueling parts.