| In contrast to its
reduced commercial exposure, EADS and its Airbus Industries
subsidiary had a strong military presence at the Paris Airshow,
highlighted by the first appearance of the mission-equipped
KC-30B, which,
according to Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., Chairman and CEO of EADS
North America is "the world’s most capable military
tanker". The aircraft on display was recently completed
for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). (more...)
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It is outfitted with its fly-by-wire Aerial
Refueling Boom System (ARBS), along with two underwing hose
and drogue refueling pods. This aircraft recently completed
ground testing to validate installation of its refueling equipment
package and has begun flight evaluation program, leading to
its eventual delivery to Australia. The KC-30B combined aerial
refueling system will enable the RAAF to support its own fighters,
strategic airlifters and AWACS assets, while offering full aerial
refueling compatibility with other U.S., NATO and allied military
aircraft. Its configuration is similar to the Northrop Grumman
KC-30 Tanker, which is being proposed for the U.S. Air Force
KC-135 tanker replacement program.
A smaller aerial tanker from Airbus, based on the A310 is the
Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). Four such aircraft are on
order for the German Air Force, one of them participated in
the flight display over Le Bourget. The German tankers carries
a pair of underwing hose and drogue refueling pods, configured
to provide tanker support for probe-equipped military aircraft.
A refueling operator’s station is located in the cabin
behind the cockpit. Another A310 which participated in the flight
displays, was the Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS) testbed,
which already acquired over 100 flight hours with the new 'fly
by wire' boom system.
 Another
tanker to be added in the future to NATO air forces will be
based on the A400M military
transport aircraft, currently under development. The long
awaited A400M did not make it to this year's airshow. The aircraft
is currently on final assembly in Spain, and is scheduled to
fly within less than one year. Hopefully it will be available
for flight displays in the next Farnborough Airshow (2008).
To date, Airbus Military has received firm orders for 192 aircraft
from nine customer nations. This new, multi-role military airlifter
will replace the ageing fleets of C-130 Hercules and C-160 Transall
still in service with some of the NATO air forces and other
air forces around the world. The A400M almost doubles the payload
and volume of the aircraft it will replace. It will be configured
for three principal mission profiles - strategic operations
(long range, large capacity, high cruise speed) tactical missions
(soft-field performance, autonomous ground operation, low speed
/ low level operations, aerial delivery) in-theatre aerial refueling
services.
Boeing is sending its C-17 Globemaster
III to every airshow in a last attempt to win international
and US government support for its continuation of the program,
which will reach its end, pending further orders. The aircraft
is performing well, supporting coalition operations in Southwest
Asia and Iraq and while funding is not available for more aircraft,
the need for its continued services is widely recognized.
In contrast to Boeing's Globemaster III demise, Lockheed
Martin's C-130J is becoming a hot seller on the world market.
"The C-130Js is delivering ‘last mile’ intra-theater
support supplies to remote operating bases, keeping trucks off
dangerous highways and carrying tons of supplies non-stop for
thousands of miles," said Jim Grant, Lockheed Martin’s
vice president of business development for Air Mobility and
Special Operations Forces. The aircraft offers greater operational
efficiencies than the older C-130s by flying further, faster,
with more payload and higher reliability. Additionally,
the C-130J only requires three crew members for most missions
so fewer flight crew members are exposed to potential threats
in theater. The Hercules will soon be augmented by the C-27
Spartan Light Transport Aircraft, recently selected recently
selected by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force for the Joint
Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program. The Spartan will replace the Shorts
C-23 Sherpas, C-12 and C-26 aircraft. The aircraft was one of
the impressive performers at Le Bourget demonstrating typical
short takeoff and steep landing maneuvers.
Topics covered in this review:
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