Issue 65 – November 9, 2009

In this issue of the EADS North America Tanker Activity Update:

•	EADS Tanker program marks new milestone with nighttime refueling from Royal Australian Air Force A330 MRTT
•	A330-200F cargo aircraft makes its maiden flight

EADS Tanker program marks new milestone with nighttime refueling from Royal Australian Air Force A330 MRTT

The A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport, an Airbus Military program, has achieved a new milestone with its first nighttime refueling operation using the advanced Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS) integrated on the first Australian A330 tanker.

The Royal Australian Air Force A330 MRTT transferred more than 3,300 pounds of fuel through the ARBS during a multi-contact mission involving two F-16 fighter aircraft. 

This flight confirmed the ARBS' superior nighttime operational capabilities with its state-of-the-art 3-D enhanced vision system, which features laser infrared lighting and high-definition digital stereoscopic viewing.  It also provided a new validation of the boom's handling qualities, precision and stability as integrated on the A330 MRTT.

The nighttime refueling mission is part of final flight testing for the A330 MRTT, on which Northrop Grumman's KC-45 for the U.S. Air Force is based.  This marks another step in preparations for the startup of A330 MRTT deliveries to Australia, which is one of four countries having ordered the next-generation tanker to date.

The Royal Australian Air Force's A330 MRTT is similar in configuration to Northrop Grumman's KC-45 Tanker offered for the U.S. Air Force.  As with the KC-45, Australia's A330 MRTT incorporates the Airbus Military state-of-the-art Aerial Refueling Boom System with all-electric, fly-by-wire controls, plus two digital hose-and-drogue pods under the wings. The advanced ARBS can deliver fuel at 1,200 U.S. gallons per minute, a key requirement for the U.S. Air Force's tanker.

This mix of boom and pod refueling technologies ensures the A330 MRTT and KC-45 can transfer fuel to all types of receiver aircraft during a single mission without reconfiguration. The KC-45 also offers a centerline hose-and-drogue fuselage refueling unit.

The A330 MRTT is the next-generation tanker of choice for NATO and allied forces worldwide, and continues to demonstrate its maturity leading to the first deliveries next year.  To date, the ARBS installed in the Australian A330 MRTT aircraft has performed more than 70 contacts and transferred more than 40,000 pounds of fuel. Overall, the ARBS has completed more than 250 wet and dry contacts with a wide range of receiver aircraft, in a full range of operating conditions and throughout its flight envelope, during evaluations aboard the A330 MRTT and from a test-bed aircraft.

The A330 MRTT has won all of the latest competitions for next-generation aerial refueling aircraft - with selections by the air forces of Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.   A total of 28 A330 MRTTs have been ordered to date.

Deliveries of the five A330 MRTTs ordered by Australia will begin in mid-2010. Conversion is complete for the first two aircraft, and the process is ongoing for a third at Qantas Aviation Services in Australia.

A total of five A330 MRTT aircraft currently are in the conversion and flight test process by Airbus Military: the three for Australia, plus two for the United Kingdom - underscoring the company's ability to build, outfit and deliver the next-generation tanker at a sustained rate. In addition, the first A330 MRTT for the Saudi Royal Air Force will arrive to undergo its conversion in November.

A330-200F cargo aircraft makes its maiden flight

The A330-200F freighter has performed its first flight, thereby expanding the demonstrated capabilities and applications of the A330 commercial aircraft platform.

A four-hour maiden flight on November 5 validated the A330-200F’s basic performance and handling characteristics, and initiated a test and certification program that will lead to the startup of customer deliveries next summer.

This mid-size, long-haul cargo aircraft is equipped with a 141x101-inch cargo door on the forward fuselage – which also is included in the KC-45’s configuration – as well as a new strengthened floor with a specially designed floor-grid for the higher running loads encountered in freight airlift missions.  Its optimized fuselage cross-section provides the flexibility to carry a wide variety of pallet and container sizes.

Additionally, the A330-200F’s maximum-zero-fuel weight has been increased by more than 17,630 lb., and the aircraft’s payload carrying capability is greater than originally anticipated as the result of an extensive weight saving exercise during its development.

To date, 67 firm orders have been booked for the A330-200F by nine customers – including four U.S.-based leasing and investment services companies – along with airlines, aircraft lessors and trading firms in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.  A 10th customer, Turkish Airlines, recently signed a memorandum of understanding for two additional A330-200Fs. Current international sales campaigns also are showing serious interest in the aircraft from potential new buyers. 

Both the A330-200F and Northrop Grumman KC-45 Tanker are based on the proven, technologically-advanced A330 jetliner, for which over 1,000 orders have been booked for passenger operations, cargo service, military and government transport duties, and as aerial refueling aircraft.  To date, more than 640 A330s have been delivered worldwide.

Contact:
Guy Hicks
Vice President – Communications and Public Relations
EADS North America
Tel: 703 236-3300
e-mail: guy.hicks@eads-na.com