First Flight: EADS Airbus UK Tanker | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.25.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Sat, Sep 18, 2010

First Flight: EADS Airbus UK Tanker

Aircraft Is Similar To The Proposed EADS KC-45

The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA), designed and built for the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF), completed a successful first flight Thursday after being configured for its tanker transport mission. The aircraft took off from Airbus Military's facility in Getafe, Spain, at 1141 local time, and landed back there after a flight of approximately two hours.


File Photo

The FSTA is the UK's configuration of the Airbus Military A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). "We now have A330 multi-role tankers in flight for two U.S. allies, with proven refueling systems that form the foundation of the KC-45 configuration," said EADS North America Chairman Ralph D. Crosby, Jr. "In other words, the tanker we are offering to the United States Air Force isn't just a concept on paper, it is real and proving itself every day."

The FSTA configuration includes two digital hose-and-drogue refueling pods under the wings, plus a hose-and-drogue fuselage refueling unit on the centerline. Both of these systems will be on the KC-45, as will be the company's advanced Aerial Refueling Boom System, which recently demonstrated in flight its ability to meet the U.S. Air Force requirement for high fuel offload at 1,200 gallons a minute.


File Photo

"Our platform is mature, our systems are proven and there are 48,000 American workers ready to build this ... tanker aircraft for the U.S. Air Force," Crosby said. Airbus says the KC-45, as well as A330-based commercial freighter aircraft, would be assembled in a new aerospace center of excellence in Mobile, AL, using a nationwide network of more than 200 American suppliers.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.eads.com

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Prelim: Piper PA-23

Pilot Also Reported That Due To A Fuel Leak, The Auxiliary Fuel Tanks Were Not Used On June 4, 2025, at 13:41 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23, N2109P, was substantially damage>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: One Man’s Vietnam

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Reflections on War’s Collective Lessons and Cyclical Nature The exigencies of war ought be colorblind. Inane social-constructs the likes of racis>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Capella Aircraft Corp FW1C50

Pilot Reported That He Was Unfamiliar With The Single Seat Amateur-Built Airplane And His Intent Was To Perform High-Speed Taxi Testing Analysis: The pilot reported that he was unf>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Timber Tiger Touts Curtiss Jenny Replicas

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): First Kits to Ship October 2023 Having formerly resurrected the storied shape of the Ryan ST—in effigy, anyway—Montrose, Colorado-based Tim>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.04.25): Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) [ICAO]

Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) [ICAO] Area navigation based on performance requirements for aircraft operating along an ATS route, on an instrument approach procedure or in a d>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC