Defence

EADS’s aerial refuelling boom system is ready to begin in-flight contacts and fuel transfers, says Northrop Grumman, which is leading the KC-30 bid for the US Air Force's KC-X tanker requirement.

The fly-by-wire boom has been evaluated over its full flight envelope in more than 130h of tests involving 50 flights of EADS’s Airbus A310 testbed since March 2006, says Northrop.

Ground testing has validated the fuel offload capability, as well as the system’s resistance to the buildup of electrostatic charge, the company says. The nominal fuel flow rate is 4,500 litres (1,200USgal) per minute.

ARBS is the first refuelling boom developed by EADS, and demonstrating its capability is key to Northrop’s bid to unseat Boeing as the supplier of aerial refuelling tankers to the US Air Force.

The USAF is expected to select between the Airbus A330-based KC-30 and Boeing’s KC-767 for the 179-aircraft KC-X contract in December. Although a split purchase remains a possibility, the USAF insists it will pick just one of the bidders.

Launch customer for the boom is the Royal Australian Air Force, which has ordered five KC-30B tankers. Flight testing of the ARBS-equipped KC-30B began in June.

Pre-contact flights with the A310 boom testbed to simulate refuelling involved an EADS Casa C-101 jet trainer and CN-235 turboprop transport. In-flight contacts and fuel transfers will involve a variety of receiver aircraft, says Northrop.