Page 34 - ADT MARCH / APRIL 2020 Digital Magazine | GBP

the Boom away from the receiver safely.

On the receiver end, pilots closing in to the
tanker take visual cues from the automated
Pilot Director Lights (PDL). This feature allows
for more efficient operations, with smoother [ AIR SYSTEMS ]
transitions and minimises time during the cou-
pled state. The A3R development paves the
way towards a fully autonomous aerial refuel-
ling operation.

In July 2018 Airbus demonstrated that A3R was
feasible as a product after the achievement
of the world’s first automated contact with a
Boom system. In a joint operation with the Royal
Smart Move A310 development tanker performed seven
Australian Air Force (RAAF), the company’s
automated contacts with a RAAF KC-30A
MRTT, also made by Airbus.

Singapore is receiving six A330 aircraft, the
THE SINGAPORE AIR FORCE LEADS THE NEXT first of which touched own on the island state
in August 2018. The first aircraft to be modified
EVOLUTION OF THE A330 MRTT will also feature enhanced maintenance equip-
ment, which will allow maintenance personnel
Jay Menon to use the upgraded MRTT’s systems to trou-
bleshoot problems from the flight deck.

Airbus and Singapore have agreed to collaborate on the develop- Referring to maintenance, Airbus said enhanced
ment of the A330 SMART Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) for maintenance equipment will allow ground crews
the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). The SMART MRTT to detect and troubleshoot directly from the
programme will develop, certify and implement Automatic Air-to- aircraft’s cockpit the root cause of a failure.
Air refuelling (A3R) capability as well as enhanced maintenance This new upgrade enables faster resolution
solutions for the A330 MRTT. of ground tasks while providing the means for
maximising the efficient use of spare parts.
With this collaboration Singapore becomes a key partner for the Airbus says as a new-generation tanker, the
new automated aerial refueling capabilities. Under the agreement, A330 MRTT is a perfect replacement for older
a RSAF A330 MRTT will take part in the ongoing development, aircraft under fleet replacement programmes.
flight test campaign and final certification programme. The flight With 60 total aircraft sales as of March 2020,
test campaign, which has already started, is aiming for certification the A330 MRTT has been ordered by Australia
in 2021. While development of SMART MRTT capabilities further (as launch customer), France, NATO, Saudi
strengthens Airbus’ leading position and technological edge in the Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, the United
tanker market, the enhanced maintenance solution is designed to Arab Emirates and the UK.
improve A330 MRTT’s availability and overall mission success rate.
Airbus Head of Military Aircraft, Alberto Gutiérrez said: “With this The A330 MRTT can carry up to 111 tonnes of
agreement, the Singapore Air Force leads the evolution of the fuel; this is the highest capacity of all tanker
A330 MRTT, helping us to bring new hands-off capabilities to the aircraft, even those with additional fuel tanks
benchmark of next-gen tanker operations”. in the cargo deck. It has the capacity of off-
loading 50,000 kg of fuel to a broad range of
The A3R system requires no additional equipment on the receiver receivers during a four-hour loitering mission at
and is intended to reduce air refuelling operator (ARO) workload, over 1,000 nm from its take-off point. Refuelling
improve safety and optimise the rate of air-to-air refuelling (AAR) capabilities of the A330 MRTT have been val-
transfer in operational conditions to maximise aerial superiority. idated in testing operations with fighter and
Once the A3R system is activated by the ARO, the Boom Flight larger receiver aircraft, and were bolstered by
Control System becomes fully automated and progresses to trans- Airbus’ 2018 agreement with Lockheed Martin
fer fuel upon contact with the receiver, Gutiérrez explained. During to jointly explore opportunities to meet the
this process, the ARO simply monitors the operation. In the event growing demand for aerial refuelling for U.S.
of an anomaly due to receiver stability deviations or malfunctions defence customers – with the A330 MRTT at
on the tanker, the A3R system is able to disconnect and/or clear its heart.

34 | March/April 2020 WWW .GBP .COM.SG/ ADT