The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Airbus signed a research contract to further expand the RAAF KC-30A’s potential.
The agreement strengthens the partnership between Airbus and Australia’s defence force, and will help to define the evolution of the KC-30A fleet as it reaches operational maturity and develop its capabilities.
The agreement’s first milestone is the joint development of the automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) concept, which represents a key step forward in in-flight refuelling.
Automating boom refuelling contacts decreases potential risk by minimising operator workload, and increases operational effectiveness by cutting the time for each contact. The system requires no extra equipment in the receiver aircraft.
Fernando Alonso, head of Military Aircraft at Airbus Defence and Space remarked, “The KC-30A offers tremendous combat potential at the heart of the integrated Air Force of the Future, including using the platform as a Communication Node, to maximise air power delivery.”
“We are delighted to contribute to the research and development of A3R with Airbus to automate the process for boom refuelling without the need for control by our on-board air refuelling operator”, said Air Marshal Leo Davies, Chief of Air Force, RAAF.
