A.330 MRTT Simultaneously Refuels Two Fighters

[GOOSE]

The A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT), an Airbus Military program, has performed the first simultaneous fuel transfer with its all-digital hose-and-drogue system, fueling two fighter aircraft at the same time.

The hose-and-drogue fuel transfers occurred on November 18 during a flight test sortie that utilized both the A330 MRTT's left and right under-wing pods. In total, the A330 MRTT conducted 11 simultaneous airborne refueling contacts with two NATO F/A-18 fighters and transferred more than 25,000 lbs of fuel.

The latest refueling milestone was performed by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) A330 MRTT, and follows recent daytime and nighttime refueling operations utilizing the aircraft's advanced Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS), as well as previous fuel transfers using the wing-mounted hose-and-drogue refueling systems. As a result, both refueling systems on the A330 MRTT have now been demonstrated through flight tests, confirming the aircraft's maturity in preparation for the startup of deliveries to international customers beginning in 2010.

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