Tested On A310; Destined For A330-Derived Tankers
Representatives with
EADS tell ANN the company's fly-by-wire aerial refueling boom has
completed 25 test flights and logged over 70 flight hours,
validating the system's capabilities through a wide range of
operating speeds and deployment conditions.
The EADS Air Refueling Boom System (ARBS) will equip five EADS
KC-30B tanker aircraft ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force
and three tankers for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The boom
system also will be incorporated on the Northrop Grumman KC-30
Tanker, offered in the ongoing competition to
modernize the US Air Force's aerial refueling fleet.
In the flight testing performed to date, the ARBS demonstrated
its excellent handling qualities, while also validating the control
laws developed at the EADS ground-based simulator facility. The
tests evaluated flutter and handling qualities with the boom in
both the stowed and deployed position operating on an A310 testbed
aircraft.
Pre-contact operations for in-flight refueling were simulated
using an EADS CASA C-101 jet trainer and a CN-235 turboprop
military transport aircraft. The boom operator's 3D-vision
surveillance system was employed during these tests, as was the
Pilot Director Light (PDL) system.
"The steady pace of successful flight testing validates what we
already knew -– that the ARBS is the most capable refueling
system ever designed, and that it will revolutionize tanker
operations when introduced on the Royal Australian Air Force's
KC-30Bs," said EADS North America Tankers CEO John H. Young, Jr.
"These tests further confirm that the ARBS will deliver a
significant operational advantage to the Northrop Grumman KC-30
Tanker; first as an immediate replacement for the US Air Force
KC-135, and second in meeting the service's demanding and
unpredictable aerial refueling requirements for the next 50 to 75
years."
Flight tests will continue in the coming months, leading to
refueling contacts with a variety of receiver aircraft.
Developed in a $100
million internal EADS research and development effort, the ARBS
provides highly accurate, reliable in-flight refueling -- taking
full advantage of modern fly-by-wire technology. With a maximum
nominal fuel flow rate of 1,200 US gallons per minute, the advanced
boom features an automatic load alleviation system that provides a
larger refueling envelope and enhanced controllability. The
system's all-electric design significantly reduces traditional
failure rates and subsequent down times. Using a 3D-vision
surveillance system, the boom operator remotely controls ARBS
operations from the cockpit during air-to-air refueling.
The Royal Australian Air Force's first KC-30B Multi-Role Tanker
Transport currently is undergoing its outfitting process, and has
now been equipped with the centerline ARBS, along with a pair of
under-wing hose and drogue refueling pods. The KC-30B also will
carry an electronic warfare self-protection suite for defense
against surface-to-air missiles.
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