First Of Four To Be Outfitted By Qantas Defense Services

The second Royal Australian Air Force’s Multi-Role Tanker/Transport, designated the KC-30B, has begun its tanker conversion phase in preparation for the aircraft’s entry into service.

EADS North America tells ANN outfitting of the #2 RAAF KC-30B started in early June after arriving at the Qantas Australian Conversion Centre at Brisbane Airport, Australia. It is the first of four Airbus A330s to be modified to the KC-30B configuration by Qantas Engineering in Australia.

EADS has established a resident office at the Qantas facilities where a specialized staff will oversee the conversion.

The KC-30B’s outfitting procedure in Australia -- which includes the installation of EADS’ advanced Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS), underwing refueling pods and military mission systems -- is similar to the process planned for the US Air Force's KC-45 Tankers, should EADS be reawarded the contract.

"The start of in-country tanker conversion on the second Royal Australian MRTT marks yet another significant milestone in the KC-30B MRTT program," said John H. Young, Jr., CEO of EADS North America Tankers – a business unit of EADS North America. "The advances of this program will directly benefit the US Air Force's KC-45 Tanker program, particularly with lessons-learned as we qualify Qantas in the conversion of airframes to fully capable tankers. The high degree of commonality that the RAAF KC-30B MRTT shares with the USAF KC-45 Tanker strengthens the US team's low-risk approach."

The Royal Australian Air Force's KC-30B's use of EADS' advanced fly-by-wire ARBS and two underwing hose and drogue refueling pods will enable the Royal Australian Air Force to support its own fighters, airlifters and AWACS assets, while also offering full aerial refueling compatibility with other US, NATO and allied military aircraft.

EADS' all-electric ARBS provides a maximum nominal fuel flow rate of 1,200 US gallons per minute. A high resolution, panoramic and 3D-vision surveillance system enables the boom operator to remotely control boom operations from the cockpit during air-to-air refueling during daylight or nighttime operations.

The KC-30B and the KC-45 are derived from the Airbus A330 jetliner. To date, more than 940 A330s have been ordered for civil, military and government customers, and the aircraft's production rate is increasing to meet a growing international demand.

A total of five KC-30Bs have been ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force. The first RAAF aircraft already is outfitted with the full complement of aerial refueling systems, and successfully completed Phase I flight testing, as ANN reported last week.

FMI: www.eadsnorthamerica.com, www.airforce.gov.au