Page 32 - Australian Defence Mag March 2020

32 DEFENCE BUSINESS KC-30A
MARCH 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
the F-15’s canopy, adjacent to the AAR receptacle, earlier tri- als with USAF F-15s were not successful.
Essentially the ARBS has two sets of control laws, one for small receivers such as fighters and the other for large aircraft such as the C-17A or KC-30 itself, however the F-15 sits somewhere between the two and new software needed to be developed.
With other F-15 operators such as Singapore and South Korea signing up for MRTTs this work became a priority for Airbus Defence and Space and a new software build, known as Loop 6.1 was released in early 2019. This has resulted in Singapore at least now clearing the F-15 and the RAAF will send an aircraft to the US this year to perform its own clear- ance activities.
Other work this year will include the B-2A Spirit, A-10A Thunderbolt II and B-52H Stratofortress – the latter two of which were began some time ago but shelved due to other priorities.
One aircraft that has eluded successful completion so far is the two-seat F-16B/D due to boom geometry and the shape of the canopy (and proximity to the receptacle on the spine). The F-16s with the enlarged spine do not suffer this problem as the receptacle is raised in relation to the canopy, but further trials with the earlier version may also take place this year.
“We’re still experimenting with what receiver and tanker configurations will give us the optimal geometry to achieve a clearance,” GPCAPT Pesce said. “We think we may have a solution and we’ll have one last attempt this year.”
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
In July 2018 Airbus demonstrated the successful automatic AAR (A3R) of an F-16 fighter and as the lead MRTT custom- er, Australia has been instrumental in the development of the system, including deployment of one aircraft to Spain to as- sist with large receiver trials. Airbus predicts that the system will be certified with the first customer (Singapore) in 2021.
“We’re working very closely with Airbus Defence and Space on the next generation of
boom technology and as the
lead customer, we’ve devel-
oped a relationship with them in terms of spearheading the development of new tech- nologies,” GPCAPT Pesce explained. “We’re seen as the partner of choice by Airbus and we’ve been working with them on A3R for years.”
GPCAPT Pesce added that other technology Air- bus is developing under its ‘Smart Tanker’ concept is being watched closely, in- cluding a new iteration of the aircraft’s Mission Plan- ning System (MPS).
“It’s the next iteration of the MPS that allows crews
to integrate the tactical picture (Link 16) with AAR require- ments – which in itself is quite a complex planning require- ment. When you’re dragging a number of fighters across the Pacific, making sure you have a clear understanding of where your refuelling brackets are, weather diversion options and so forth, is really quite complex. Making sure you have the right tools to integrate the fuel onload/offload requirements for the formation, together with the tactical picture is very important,” GPCAPT Pesce said.
In terms of continuous modernisation, the fleet has re- cently received the aforementioned Loop 6.1 boom software upgrade, the LAIRCM system has been upgraded to the lat- est Block 10 configuration and aircraft are currently cycling through the IFF Mode 5 upgrade. Further into the future a KC-30 Capability Upgrade Program (CAP) will consider other improvements such as cryptographic modernisation and enhanced self-protection systems and may be grouped with other assets under an Air Mobility Capability Assur- ance Program (AMCAP).
Lastly it is perhaps worth mentioning that provision for a further two aircraft (Nos.8 & 9) was included in the 2016 White Paper and ADM understands this will be considered under Phase 4 of Air 7403. With the increased number of trans-Pacific deployments supported by 33 Sqn alone, it could be argued that seven aircraft is an inadequate number – especially when training and maintenance requirements are factored in. It would also seem a sensible consideration that one is also configured for the GTC mission, providing a back up for the first aircraft and de-risking a loss in capabil- ity due to planned maintenance.
Time will tell but a nine aircraft KC-30A fleet which includes two GTC-configured jets would add even more flexibility to what is already a very capable asset for the support of the ADF. ■
BELOW: The KC-30A first entered service in 2011.
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