The UK’s first Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) has made its first dry contacts with a fighter, marking the end of a strong year for the modified Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT).
Flown from Airbus Military’s Getafe site near Madrid on 13 December, the Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-powered A330 made a series of contacts with a Spanish air force Boeing EF-18 Hornet using its Cobham 805E fuselage refuelling unit (FRU).
Airbus Military says the 2h 20min sortie and a subsequent second flight included work conducted “throughout the refuelling flight envelope”, at altitudes from 8,000-35,000ft (2,440-10,700m) and at a speed range of 180-325kt (333-600km/h).
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Both images © Airbus Military |
“This is the first time that the FRU has been used, and means that all of the A330 MRTT’s refuelling systems have now completed contacts,” says Airbus Military. The type’s Cobham 905E hose and drogue refuelling pods – also installed on the UK Royal Air Force’s FSTA variant – have already been tested for launch A330 tanker operator Australia.
Flight testing for the UK is expected to progress to completing to transferring the first fuel via the FRU “in the coming days”, says Airbus Military.
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© Airbus Military |
The UK’s AirTanker Services-managed FSTA programme received a significant boost in late October, when its Strategic Defence and Security Review confirmed plans to field the entire fleet of 14 aircraft, and to retire the RAF’s remaining Lockheed TriStars and Vickers VC10s by 2013.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
