Airbus has achieved the first-ever fully-automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) operation incorporating a boom system.
According to Airbus, the flight test campaign was conducted earlier in the year over the Atlantic Ocean. The wet run involved an Airbus tanker test aircraft equipped with the Airbus A3R solution, with an F-16 fighter aircraft of the Portuguese Air Force acting as a receiver.
The milestone comes as part of Airbus’ planned industrialisation of A3R systems, ahead of its implementation in the A330 MRTT development.
Mid caption: No. 77 Squadron deployed to Korat Air Force Base in Thailand in August 2009 to participate in Exercise Thai Boomerang with elements of the Royal Thai Air Force. 77 Squadron F/A-18 Hornets conducted air-to-air training with RTAF F-16, L-39 and Alpha-Jet aircraft. Exercise Thai Boomerang is an important event in maintaining a strong relationship with Thailand through cooperative training and the transfer of air combat experience and knowledge.
The campaign achieved a total of 45 flight test hours and 120 dry contacts with the A3R system. The certification phase will start in 2021.
“The achievement of this key milestone for the A3R program highlights the A330 MRTT’s excellent capability roadmap development and once more confirms that our tanker is the world’s reference for present and future refuelling operations,” said Didier Plantecoste, Airbus head of tanker and derivatives programs.
“Our special thanks go to the Portuguese Air Force for their continued support and help on this crucial development.”
The A3R system requires no additional equipment on the receiver aircraft and is intended to reduce air refuelling operator (ARO) workload, improve safety and optimise the rate of air-to-air refuelling transfer in operational conditions.
Once the system is activated by the ARO, the A3R flies the boom automatically and keeps the alignment between the boom tip and the receiver receptacle with an accuracy of a couple of centimetres.
Airbus has stated that the eventual goal for the A3R system is to develop technologies that will operate in a fully autonomous manner.
