Airbus has received certification for its A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) to conduct daytime automatic air-to-air refueling (A3R) using the boom, the world’s first tanker cleared for such capability. The principal MRTT modification facility resides at the Airbus Getafe plant near Madrid, and Spain’s National Institute for Aerospace Technology granted the approval.
Airbus began trials of A330 A3R in cooperation with the Royal Australian Air Force, which provided KC-30 MRTTs for the initial campaign. A first automatic contact was achieved in 2018. Subsequently, the Republic of Singapore Air Force has become the principal partner in the A3R test campaign, which is part of the wider Smart MRTT program. Airbus and the Singapore Air Force also have developed enhanced maintenance capabilities to reduce the times required for ground tasks and optimizing the use of spares.
The initial aims of A3R center on reducing the workload of the air refueling operator, improve safety, and maximize the rate at which receivers can be refueled during operations. However, greater autonomy is being explored so that the MRTT can refuel uncrewed aircraft in the future.
To that end, the Airbus UpNext subsidiary has launched the Auto’Mate demonstrator to evaluate autonomous formation flight and autonomous assets air-to-air refueling, which will primarily focus on the automation of the refueling process for the receivers. Flight tests using Airbus’s A310 tanker trials aircraft and DT-25 target drones are due to begin next year, culminating in an end-to-end demonstration planned for 2024. The program will also cover autonomous-to-autonomous technologies.
