KC-30B tanker flies ahead of schedule

1 August 2007

By Gregor Ferguson

The RAAF’s KC-30B Multi-Role Tanker/Transport completed its first flight on June 15, several weeks ahead of the planned flight test schedule, marking a major milestone in the development of this new ADF capability.

The first of five KC-30B tankers ordered by the RAAF under Project Air 5402 was part of the static display at the Paris Air Show in June.
The aircraft flew to Le Bourget from EADS CASA’s Getafe plant near Madrid, where it has been undergoing its Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) conversion.

Two days earlier, on June 15, the KC-30B made its 3-hour maiden flight with the EADS Air Refueling Boom System (ARBS) and Flight Refuelling Mk32 underwing refueling pods installed.
This milestone marked the start of KC-30B flight testing in the production configuration, prior to certification and delivery to the RAAF.

“The successful first flight of the Australian A330 tanker, ahead of schedule, marks another significant milestone in the KC-30B MRTT program, taking this superb aircraft one step closer to its service entry with the Royal Australian Air Force,” said John H. Young, CEO of EADS North America Tankers, a business unit of EADS North America.

“The advances of this program directly benefit the Northrop Grumman KC-30 Tanker that is being offered as a replacement for the U.S. Air Force KC-135.”

Commonality
The RAAF’s KC-30Bs have a high degree of commonality with the KC-30 Tanker offered by Northrop Grumman and EADS to replace the US Air Force’s aging KC-135 tanker fleet.
This commonality, with the RAAF as lead customer, ensures a low-risk approach for the USAF tanker program, Young said.

Boeing is also competing for the USAF contract, offering its KC-767 tanker variant of the B767 airliner.

Tanker variants of the A330 have also has been ordered by the United Arab Emirates and the UK, the latter to replace the Royal Air Force’s ageing VC10 and TriStar tanker/transport fleet.
However, both Italy and Japan have ordered the KC-767, which is also currently in flight test.

The KC-30 MRTT is derived from the Airbus A330-200 airliner.
To date, more than 700 A330s have been ordered for airline and government customers, and the aircraft’s production rate is increasing to meet a growing international demand.

Qantas is an A330-200 operator and will be responsible for converting the RAAF’s four remaining KC-30Bs at its Brisbane facility, and for through-life support of the tanker fleet under an initial five-year contract signed in February this year.

The KC-30 MRTT conversion of the basic Airbus A330 involves a range of military modifications including the two underwing aerial refuelling pods, the ARBS mounted on the fuselage centre line, military communications, data link, navigation, IFF, mission planning and electronic warfare self-protection equipment.

The new tanker “is one of the key enabling capabilities designed to maintain Australia’s air combat capability through the transition to Joint Strike Fighter, Wedgetail and beyond,” according to Minister for Defence Dr Brendan Nelson.

“We are taking on a managed risk as lead customer to develop and test the new advanced refuelling boom system and integrated military mission systems to ensure that we have the most capable tanker aircraft in time to replace the ageing Boeing 707.

“The first flight of the aircraft following completion of structural modifications is a significant milestone and provides confidence that EADS CASA is progressing to schedule for entry into operational service of the new tankers by the end of 2009,” Nelson added.

Contenders
The RAAF selected the KC-30B in 2004 in preference to the KC-767.
The approved cost of Project Air 5402 is $1.777 billion; EADS CASA’s prime contract is worth $1.509 billion.
The deliverables under this contract include the five KC-30Bs, a full flight simulator, five years’ initial in-service support and the establishment of a Contractor Support Organisation (CSO) in Australia.

The planned in-service date - comprising delivery of two aircraft, completion of qualification testing and issue of the military airworthiness certificate - is late-2009.

The KC-30B has a maximum take-off weight of 233 tonnes.
Its standard wing tanks can carry up to 111 tonnes of fuel so the aircraft requires no extra tanks to carry a militarily useful payload in the tanking role.
This leaves its cargo bay uncluttered to carry up to 42 tonnes of military and commercial air cargo pallets.
It can also carry up to 272 passengers in a two-class configuration.

But the ARBS is an all-new system designed by EADS CASA for which the RAAF is launch customer.
It is a relatively high-tech device employing a ‘fly by wire’ control system and its certification program is running approximately 12 months behind schedule, though this has not impacted yet on the delivery schedule of the completed aircraft.
The DMO acknowledged the potential for schedule delays with a developmental system and provided plenty of contingency room.

The ARBS was installed on a modified Airbus A310 airliner test bed – this replicates accurately the aerodynamic and structural characteristics of the A330.

But a series of minor engineering delays pushed the start of flight-testing back from August 2005 to March 2006.
Some of these related to the design of the Remote Aerial Refuelling Operator (RARO) station adjacent to the flight deck; some to the ARBS itself (including supplier delays in the US); and some to the age and condition of the second-hand A310 selected as a test bed.
None were serious, but all impacted on the schedule.

Making the schedule
Part of the contingency allowance is a fall-back plan for parallel test and certification activities using both the A310 and KC-30B, if necessary, to achieve the RAAF’s in-service date.
At this stage the program is on track to meet this target.

The flight test program has validated all the engineering projections so far and the A310 test bed should conduct ‘dry’ and then ‘wet’ contacts (the latter actually transferring fuel) with receiver aircraft throughout the remainder of 2007.

This should result in successful qualification of the boom system, including the RARO; first flight of the KC-30B with all refuelling systems operational is scheduled for early-mid 2008.
Final testing of the new tanker with RAAF receiver aircraft will be conducted in Australia in early-mid 2009.

EADS CASA selected CAE Inc in March 2006 to supply a full flight and mission simulator for the KC-30B, a new training facility, and a mission systems trainer under a contract worth $46 million.

The simulator will be delivered to Amberley in 2009. CAE has also signed an initial agreement directly with Defence to provide five years of support services for the training systems.

Local content
The in-country modification and in-service support program is worth some $500 million to Qantas Defence Services Ltd.
Thales Australia is supporting development of the KC-30B mission systems including development, manufacture and design and integration activities under subcontract to its European parent and EADS CASA; Thales in Europe is part of the AirTanker Consortium which won the Royal Air Force’s Future Strategic Transport Aircraft (FSTA) contract to replace its ageing VC10 and TriStar tanker.

GKN Services Australia has contributed to the design of the airframe structural modifications and will manufacture parts for the modification kits; Australian Aerospace is assisting with technical documentation and support of the fuel system; and Pennant Australia is supporting the logistics analysis.

While Project Air 5402 hasn’t escaped the technical problems inherent in any developmental program, the Defence Materiel Organisation’s management of the associated risks would appear thus far to have succeeded in containing expectations and maintaining the final delivery schedule.

ADM gratefully acknowledges Air 5402 project data published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in its May 2007, Defence Budget Brief, ‘The Cost of Defence’.