Abstract: To enhance the safety of helicopter air-to-air refueling, a free-wake model incorporating rotor-wing aerodynamic coupling effects was developed for the specific operational conditions of this scenario. Investigation into the influence of rotor-wing interference on rotor aerodynamic characteristics is conducted.The research results demonstrate that the proposed coupled free-wake model effectively meets the analytical requirements for rotor and wing aerodynamic characteristics during air-to-air refueling. The induced velocity, control inputs, wake structure, and drag of the rotor were analyzed under varying relative azimuthal orientations between the rotor and wing. The vertical azimuthal variation significantly influences rotor aerodynamic performance, with the maximum upwash shifting from approximately 90° to 140° azimuth. Meanwhile, lateral azimuthal changes exhibit the most pro-nounced impact on the rotor disk’s aerodynamic characteristics, leading to substantial variations in induced velocity, control inputs, and drag. Furthermore, when the wingtip vortex is positioned above the retreating side of the rotor, the drag on the retreating blade increases markedly. In the blade root region at an azimuth angle of 270°, a local surge in drag is observed. At approximately 80% of the blade radius, between azimuth angles of 240° and 270°, a pronounced local increase in drag is evident.