Page 17 - ADT MAY-JUNE 2022 Online Magazine

countries look for replacements for their ageing competition to buy between 140 to 160 new tankers to replace [ AIR SYSTEMS ]
fleet, Canada is spending money to modern- the KC-10 and KC-135 or to buy additional KC-46s. Eyeing the KC-Y
ize the Royal Canadian Air Force’s fleet of 85 programme, Lockheed Martin and Airbus have announced that the
Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopters that are used aerial refueling boom system for the LMXT strategic tanker aircraft,
in a wide variety of roles, including aerial fire- which is Lockheed Martin's offering for the KC-Y programme. will
power, reconnaissance, search and rescue and be manufactured by Airbus in western Arkansas.
aero-mobility tasks. As part of a US$800 million
contract awarded in May this year, Bell Textron
will complete initial modifications on nine of On a Strong Footing
the helicopters and also manage a competitive Airbus has delivered 108 of the 178 orders its A400M has received
process by which sub-contract suppliers will from eight nations. In May last year, it delivered the 100th aircraft, to
upgrading the remaining 76 helicopters. The the Spanish Air Force, which had earlier taken delivery of nine such
contract aims to extend the life of the multi-role aircraft. The aircraft, extensively used for emergency response
utility helicopters, which can be transported for missions during the pandemic, also successfully conducted a heli-
long-distance deployment aboard the CC-130 copter air-to-air refueling certification flight test campaign in April
Hercules or C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, after last year, in coordination with the DGA (French Directorate General
minor disassembly. of Armaments). The flight tests involved operations with two
French Air Force H225M helicopters. In the tanker configuration,
Making Progress the A400M is also capable of refueling fighter receivers such as
the Eurofighter, Rafale, Tornado and F/A-18, as well as C295, C-130,
Boeing’s KC-46 has been hit with technical or another A400M. The popular Airbus C295, which has multiple
problems and will not be declared operational variants for missions such as for Armed/Ground ISR, maritime
until around 2024 but the company is making patrol and anti-submarine warfare, airborne early warning, air-to-air
progress with the program, with the aircraft refueling, VIP transport and medical evacuation, has so far received
demonstrating growing operational capacity. In 285 orders with 199 aircraft already delivered to customers.
May this year, Gen. Mike Minihan, commander
of Air Mobility Command, approved a seventh
ICR mission set for the aerial refueling and stra- The Brazilian Air Force has reduced its original order of 28 KC-390
tegic military transport aircraft, increasing its aircraft to 22, but Embraer is optimistic about the market poten-
operational capability to support 97 per cent of tial of the aircraft, Jackson Schneider, the company’s Defense
the daily joint force air refueling demands. The & Security head, has said. The company is currently in discus-
aircraft, which had already been tasked by US sions with several countries about potential new orders, he added.
Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) to do operational India could be a potential buyer. The airlifter, which is capable of
refueling missions over Eastern Europe, can conducting a range of missions such as humanitarian support,
now refuel the B-1B Lancer, C-135 variants, E-8 medical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting, as well as cargo
Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, and troop transport, already has two international customers in
EC-130H Compass Call, F-35B/C Lightning Portugal and Hungary. While Portugal is procuring five aircraft of
II, KC-10 Extender and P-8 Poseidon aircraft the type, with the first aircraft to be delivered in 2023, Hungary will
during U.S. Transportation Command-tasked take delivery of two. Structural assembly work on the first of the
missions. The U.S. Air Force is currently assess- two aircraft for Hungary began in November last year. The delivery
ing whether to hold a KC-Y Bridge Tanker of the first aircraft is expected in 2024.

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