Airbus DS demonstrates automatic aerial refuelling for A330 MRTT

Airbus Defence and Space (DS) announced the first ever automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) operation for an aircraft fitted with a boom system on 17 April.

Airbus demonstrated its new automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) systems during a series of tests between an A330 MRTT tanker and an F-16 receiver earlier in the year. (Airbus)

The event saw a company-owned A330-200 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft connect with a Portuguese Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon receiver using the Airbus automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) solution.

Testing itself took place earlier this year over the Atlantic Ocean, with 45 flight test hours and 120 dry contacts with the A3R system made. The entire aerial refuelling envelope was covered, and certification is slated to commence in 2021.

As noted by Airbus, the A3R system requires no additional equipment on the receiver aircraft and is intended to reduce air refuelling operator (ARO) workload, improve safety and optimise the rate of air-to-air refuelling transfer in operational conditions. The goal for the A3R system is to develop technologies that will reach fully autonomous capabilities, the company said.