Wed, Apr 29, 2009
Multi-Role Tanker Transport Demonstrates Refueling
Compatibility
The A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), the bird put forth
as the Northrop Grumman KC-45, has marked a new development
milestone by flying as a receiver aircraft with a C-135 tanker
operated by the French Air Force. During two airborne sorties, the
C-135 made 20 contacts with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
A330 MRTT, the first of five aircraft to be delivered to the
RAAF.
The Royal Australian Air Force is one of five military services
that have selected A330-based refueling aircraft to meet their
nation's tanker/transport requirements, including Australia, the
United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In 2008,
the United States Air Force selected the Northrop Grumman KC-45 to
replace its aging KC-135 refueling fleet.
Phase two MRTT flight testing began in December 2008 and has
validated the aircraft's flight control laws and compatibility with
a broad range of military aircraft while operating as both a tanker
and receiver; tested and expanded the operational envelope of the
centerline refueling boom and two underwing refueling pods; and
tested onboard avionics - including NATO-standard Link 16 data
communications and the Multifunctional Information Distribution
System (MIDS).
A key technology on the A330 MRTT and Northrop Grumman KC-45 is
the EADS advanced Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS). The ARBS
provides accurate, reliable in-flight refueling, with a maximum
nominal fuel flow rate of 1,200 U.S. gallons per minute. A
high-resolution, panoramic and 3D-vision surveillance system
enables the aircraft's boom operator to remotely control the boom
from the cockpit during day or night air-to-air refueling
missions.
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