The first Airbus Military A330 MRTT new generation tanker/transport has been formally delivered accepted by the DMO.
At a ceremony held at the RAAF base Amberley on June 1, Air Vice Marshal Colin Thorne, head aerospace systems division, Defence Materiel Organisation, Air Commodore Gary Martin, commander, Air Lift Group and Mr Javier Matallanos, senior vice president and head of program, Airbus Military formally presented and accepted the latest addition, designated the KC-30A, to the RAAF.
“This has been a long time coming, but it is here now and we are all very excited to see the final product here in Australia,” AVM Thorne said.
“This project began in 2004 and it is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a number of people from all around the world.
“This is a first of type aircraft and we are very happy to have it so that we can finish all of our testing and get it operating in the air.”
The aircraft is the second converted by Qantas Defence Services in Brisbane, which was returned to Europe for painting and finishing. It will be joined by the second aircraft for the RAAF in this month, and two further aircraft later in the year.
The fifth and final aircraft ordered by the RAAF, which arrived in Brisbane for conversion with Qantas Defence Services recently, will be delivered next year.
Mr Matallanos, gave a very special thanks to the Australian government and DMO for placing their faith in the project and seeing it through.
“My very special thanks go to our customers and, above all, the Royal Australian Air Force,” he said.
“Their contribution was a key factor for making the A330 MRTT what it is today. We are now very keen to see it demonstrate its worth in real operations”.
The delivery of the aircraft to the RAAF follows an extensive development and test programme for what is the world’s only certified and flying new generation tanker/transport aircraft.
Civil Supplemental Type Certificate was obtained in March 2010, and the military certification followed in October.
In RAAF service, the A330 MRTT will be equipped with two underwing refuelling pods, the flyby-wire Airbus Military Aerial Refuelling Boom System (ARBS), and a Universal Aerial Refuelling Receptacle Slipway Installation (UARRSI) enabling it to be refuelled from another tanker.
It is powered by two General Electric CF6-80E engines and is equipped with a comprehensive defensive aids suite (DAS) and fitted with 270 passenger seats.