EADS N.V. - EADS’ A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport marks key milestone with first contacts using hose and drogue refueling pods

In-flight validations demonstrate capabilities of same system as on Northrop Grumman’s KC-45 tanker

EADS’ A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) – on which Northrop Grumman’s KC-45 for the U.S. Air Force is based – has achieved another important flight test milestone with successful in-flight contacts using its new-generation Cobham 905E hose and drogue refueling pods.

The tests were performed with an EADS’ A330 MRTT built for the Royal Australian Air Force, with an F/A-18A fighter as receiver aircraft. These dry contacts validated the optimized design of the A330 MRTT’s underwing pods, and demonstrated the excellent hose response during pre-contact, at contact, and while connected.

“The successful flight testing of the A330 MRTT further validates its selection by Northrop Grumman as the basis for the KC-45 tanker,” said Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., EADS North America’s chairman and CEO. “A fully operational hose-and-drogue refueling system is absolutely essential to support the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and is a fundamental requirement for the Air Force’s new tanker.”

The latest A330 MRTT validations build on EADS’ experience with its A310 Multi-Role Tanker Transport, which is in operational service with the Canadian Defence Forces and the German Air Force, using the same family of refueling pods.

The A330 MRTT’s 905E refueling pods can deliver up to 420 gallons of fuel per minute. Their 90-ft.-long hoses are designed to accommodate a full range of probe-equipped military receiver aircraft. The refueling process is controlled from a state-of-art Remote Aerial Refueling Operator (RARO) station located on the A330 MRTT’s flight deck, behind the pilots.

Australia’s A330 MRTT is based on the same general configuration as Northrop Grumman’s KC-45 for the U.S. Air Force. The KC-45 will feature the same pair of 905E underwing refueling pods and advanced Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS), as well as a fuselage refueling hose-and-drogue system. This mix of boom and pod refueling technologies ensures the A330 MRTT and KC-45 can transfer fuel to all types of receiver aircraft during a single mission without reconfiguration.

The A330 MRTT has won all of the latest competitions for new-generation aerial refueling aircraft, being selected by the air forces of Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In 2008, Northrop Grumman’s KC-45 version of the A330 MRTT was selected by the U.S. Air Force to recapitalize its aging KC-135 refueling fleet.

About EADS North America
EADS North America is the North American operation of EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense company in the world. As a leader in all sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its parent company, EADS, contribute over $11 billion to the U.S. economy annually and support more than 200,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers and services. Operating in 17 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.