Issue 249: Farewell 707

While the first phase covered the aircraft’s main structural changes and enhancements, phase two will see the aircraft’s wiring harnesses, electrical and avionics equipment, and boom operator console installed, as well as the fitting of the aircraft’s DIRCM (Direct Infra Red Counter Measures) electronic warfare system. After installation, a comprehensive ground functionality test phase of the new equipment will be conducted prior to re-installation of the aircraft’s interior fittings.

“Phase two of the conversion will involve much of the military functionality of the aircraft including the software,” the director of the RAAF’s KC-30 Transition Team, GPCAPT Noel Derwort, told Australian Aviation. “By the end of the phase two conver-

Phase one used some 85,000 rivets and 41,000 screws to fasten 12,000 different parts, requiring 250 specially designed tools.

sion, a much better understanding of the risk will be known and there will be fair confidence that all of the systems will work. ” The phase one modification work was a not insubstantial task. It saw the aircraft’s Advanced Refuelling Boom System (ARBS), wing mounted pods, refuelling receptacle and other modifications installed, and used some 85,000 rivets and 41,000 screws to fasten 12,000 different parts, requiring 250 specially designed tools. The first aircraft’s flight test instrumentation (FTI) suite required 125km of ‘orange’ wiring and 17 FTI cabinets, most of which will be removed after the aircraft enters service.

The aircraft’s flight test has also been divided into two phases. The initial first phase flights were conducted in April and May 2006 over 15 missions on the ‘green’ aircraft prior to it entering the modification process, and comprised basic handling qualities and the gathering of baseline airflow data to compare against after the modification work.

Phase one of flight testing resumed from November last year to February this year and comprised 208 hours over 66 flights during which the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft’s modifications were tested.

Analysis of the KC-30’s handling qualities including buffet, flutter, and loads, its performance, and its flight controls includingthe new tanker and receiver adapted control laws, autopilot modes and antenna locations was all performed.

EADS says the modifications to the aircraft had no significant effect on its handling qualities, and that the flight test program met all of the aircraft’s defined test objectives.

Further, it says the results of the loads, performance and handling qualities have shown full consistency with the data calculated by the design, and that the aircraft is buffet and flutter free across the entire flight envelope, right up to maximum design speed.

Phase two of flight testing will commence in late September, and will comprise between 80 and 100 development, certification, qualification and acceptance flights in conjunction with the RAAF over a four month period in the lead up to delivery.

Risk

EADS is confident that it has ‘retired’ much of the risk on the program, leading to greater confidence that the February 2009 delivery goal for the aircraft can be met.

“We’re still on schedule for a February ’09 delivery,”

the CEO of EADS Australia Pacific, Fabrice Rochereau, told AA. “There is a dedicated risk management group working on a weekly basis to trace critical paths of risk and to mitigate and plan for these risks. Because of this, we are finding that we often don’t have to go to a ‘Plan B’. We feel that most of the risk has been mitigated so there is not a lot to go now. Flight testing should resume in the third quarter leading to certification, modification qualification, and acceptance. ” “The first wet contact was done from the A310 testbed just before but independently of the USAF’s KC-X decision,” he added.

“The flight testing of the ARBS is basically finished – we just need to confirm what we did with the A310 on the A330. ” And while confidence in the program is gaining from EADS’s point of view, the RAAF also appears optimistic, albeit more cautiously so. “The development is not pushing the technological boundaries like AEW&C for example, but the sum of the parts will be the big test, it’s just pulling it all together,” said Ewan Ward, director of the ADF’s Air to Air Refuelling Project.

“While EADS is doing nothing new, this is the first time all the software and hardware has come together like this,” noted GPCAPT Derwort. “I don’t think we’re half way yet in the risk mitigation – there are some significant risks ahead, but everything EADS has said they would do, they have done to date. ” But it wasn’t always this way, with reports in 2006 and early last year that the process was falling behind. “It’s a first of type aircraft,” explained the RAAF’s director general airlift and training systems, AIRCDRE Steve Drury. “Things haven’t gone totally to plan so far, but to EADS’s credit, they’ve brought it back on track. Some of the delays can be attributed to a delay in the fitment of FTI, but no one item has cruelled us – it’s a number of items. EADS has done an internal review and identified several areas where they could have improved. ” “The phase one mod was an extensive undertaking,” added Ewan Ward. “EADS has a long supply chain and an extensive parts production network, and there were some areas where standard parts such as fasteners where the lead times were longer than expected. They’ve been working hard to pre-empt that for the second phase of the conversion, and we’ve had good visibility of the conversion at all times so far. ”

Options

One conversion that the RAAF won’t be performing on its KC-30s is the addition of a cargo door and floor, at least not in the near term.

With a major element of this year’s Defence White paper expected to concentrate on the ADF’s mobility, many capital expenditure decisions relating to airlift, including the long overdue Air 8000 Caribou replacement and a decision on whether to replace or upgrade the C-130H fleet, have been pushed back until after the White Paper has been published and its recommendations digested.

Another decision to be made is whether the five KC-30s with their upper passenger deck and underfloor container capacity, combined with the RAAF’s four recently acquired C-17s and the 24 C-130s, will be sufficient to

“We’re still on schedule for a February ’09 delivery. ”

support the ADF by air at home and abroad in the future.

“The reason we didn’t go with a cargo door on the KC-30 from the start was because no one had done it yet,” said AIRCDRE Brian ‘Jack’ Plenty, Commander of the RAAF’s Air Lift Group (ALG). “We’ll look at how we go with our C-17/C-130 mix after the White Paper has been released before we consider putting a cargo door on the aircraft. ” But while there is talk about possibly retro-fitting cargo doors to the KC-30s to provide a main deck cargo capacity in an all-cargo or combi configuration, such an upgrade is unlikely to be available for several years at least. Airbus only launched its dedicated A330-200F freighter last year, and this aircraft is not due to enter service with civilian carriers until 2010, and with the USAF in KC-45 tanker transport form in 2011 (assuming the aircraft’s selection is upheld by the US Government Accountability Office).

Only after the new-build freighter is in service will Airbus have the engineering capacity to develop a conversion of existing passenger configured aircraft.

No launch date for such a program has been announced, and the major reengineering effort required would need to be subsidised by a lead customer.

“The cargo mod is more complex than it appears,” said Ewan Ward. “The certification effort alone would be quite significant for the cargo or combi role. ” “At the end of the day, the KC-30 was purchased as a tanker,” GPCAPT Derwort emphasised. “The aircraft can already carry a lot of people and a lot of cargo, but its primary role in the ADF is as a tanker. It’s already significantly more capable than a 707 even without a cargo door, and its expected serviceability rates will only enhance that. We’d also have to consider all the specialised GSE (Ground Support Equipment) we’d require with a cargo conversion as well. ” But one possibility which remains open to the ADF is in the form of the options for three additional KC-30s it is still holding with EADS/Airbus and which are due to lapse around the time the public version of the White Paper is released.

“The options for the additional three aircraft will need to be exercised by the end of this year,” Fabrice Rochereau said, although it is possible to extend the options for longer periods if required, albeit at additional cost. If exercised, it would likely be possible to specify these aircraft with the main deck cargo capability if that requirement is identified.

The White Paper is also expected to provide guidance on whether the five aircraft currently on order will be sufficient, or whether the three options will need to be converted into follow-on orders.

Still, with an estimated four-fold increase in capability at medium ranges per aircraft and with much higher serviceability rates expected than from the 40 year old 707s they will replace, the five KC-30s on order are already a quantum leap for the RAAF.

Designation

A small issue is whether the RAAF should retain the designation it has chosen for its A330s. The KC-30B designation was selected in deference to the USAF which was expected to use the KC-30A designation if it chose the joint Northrop Grumman/EADS KC-30 to fulfil its KC-X replacement program over Boeing’s rival KC-767.

But the USAF decided instead to use the KC-45 designation, reportedly so it was not perceived to be showing favour to either bidder.

With the KC-45 now selected, if confirmed there is potential for confusion in a US-led coalition environment where air tasking order (ATO) planners may not immediately be aware of the capabilities of a KC-30B, whereas they will be familiar with the capabilities of a KC-45. “The Chief of Air Force and myself have discussed the KC-30 name,” AIRCDRE Plenty said. “It’s possible the KC-45 name may be adopted, as it could simplify things on a coalition ATO. ” “But on the other hand, because our aircraft are not equipped with a main deck cargo capability, there may also be confusion over whether a KC-45 allocated to an airlift task is actually capable of fulfilling it,” noted GPCAPT Derwort.

Training

In the lead up to the first aircraft arriving next March and being available for crew training duties, the RAAF is planning to place its aircrew and engineering staff with Qantas to be trained and certified on the type. Qantas Engineering will be performing the conversion work on at least 80 per cent of the RAAF fleet and Qantas Defence Services (QDS) will be responsible for supporting the aircraft in service. So, the KC-30s intentionally feature Qantas’s original A330-200 airliner configuration for commonality, even down to the two-class airliner style passenger cabinarrangement (Qantas’s original batch of four A330-200s now fly with Jetstar, while its latest examples are fitted with its more luxurious ‘Skybed’ business class sleeper seats).

“We’re working with QDS on through life support,” said Rochereau. “It took a while to get the contract signed, but now we’re moving forward. The aircraft modifications will be performed by Qantas Engineering, so the second aircraft arrives at Brisbane in June, and we expect the modification program to take 14 months. ” Aircraft three through five are scheduled to arrive at Brisbane at roughly six month intervals, with the last due to be delivered to 33SQN at the end of 2011.

“From the end of June, 33SQN’s ‘techos’ will start going to Qantas Engineering for A330 training in three phases,” AIRCDRE Plenty explained.

“The initial cadre of 12 aircrew will also be going through A330 simulator work with Qantas, and whilst negotiations are currently underway between myself and Qantas’s chief pilot, there is a possibility they will also do some line flying with Qantas prior to our aircraft entering service. ” There has also been industry talk about the possibility of a civil A330 being leased to the RAAF prior to the first KC-30 arriving in order to expedite crew training. However, if the Qantas line flying arrangement is successfully concluded, this should be unnecessary.

“A company has approached us regarding buying some time of a civil owned A330, but they are still to develop a formal proposal,” AIRCDRE Plenty confirmed. “At the moment, I just see us doing our stuff with Qantas, although the proposal is certainly one we will keep in the back of our mind. ” Once the first aircraft enters service with the RAAF, there will still be test work to perform in order to clear the aircraft for operational service.

“We’ll do an OT&E (Operational Test & Evaluation) in Australia which will include clearing the aircraft on all RAAF receiver types as well as the tanker acting as a receiver as well,” said GPCAPT Derwort.

“The workup will be a carefully orchestrated activity. It will involve the manufacturer, the DMO to ensure the aircraft meets its contractual obligations, ALG, and AOSG (Aerospace Operational Support Group) will be running the flight test program and sign off on the clearances.

The workup and the T&E will run concurrently. The T&E will also be tied to the various support organisations such as the technical workforce and the logistics supply chain. ” Planned ADF receiver types for the KC-30’s boom include the Wedgetail AEW&C, F-111, C-17, F-35 and other KC-30s, whilst Hornets, Super Hornets and the Caribou’s replacement will be serviced by the KC-30’s hose and drogue pods.

Such a test program is likely to test AOSG’s limited personnel resources, with many not having had experience on such a large aircraft, but this is an issue that has been identified and addressed by the transition team. “We already have a qualified test pilot (QTP) in our Madrid project office,” GPCAPT Derwort said. “The first crew will be a combined test team which will be suitable for meeting our test requirements, and we will have backup from EADS CASA’s own QTPs and flight test engineers as well. ” “I’d expect the KC-30 will achieve IOC (initial operating capability) with two aircraft and five crews on schedule at the end of 2009,” said AIRCDRE Plenty. “FOC (full operational capability) is planned for early 2011 once all five aircraft, the simulator, the GSE, and 33SQN’s new headquarters and maintenance facilities at Amberley have all been delivered. ”

Potential

AIRCDRE Plenty agrees that the ADF probably hasn’t scratched the surface of the potential the KC-30 offers yet. “To a degree, it’s been a case of ‘let’s get a hold of the aircraft first and start using it, and then develop ourselves from there,’” he said. “With the ability to refuel other KC-30s, the only real limiters might be in crews rather than aircraft endurance and capability. ” “We’re starting to look ahead at what the aircraft can achieve to meet government’s requirements,” said Ewan Ward. “We have people placed on lateral exchanges with USAF KC- 135 refuelling squadrons, learning the trade, so to speak. For example, one thing we’ve learned is to never bring fuel back if possible, that in exercises or on operations it’s better to offload unused fuel to another tanker which is heading out. The USAF has realised a 10 per cent improvement in tanker efficiency alone by doing this. We’ll also have insight into the Global Tanker Group where we exchange ideas and benchmark, and we’ll be operating our aircraft to NATO’s ATP-56B refuelling standard. ” “The RAAF has been a very professional customer, and has been very involved in the whole modification and test program – our perception is that we have a happy and confident customer,” said Fabrice Rochereau.

“The USAF validated what Australia selected three or four years ago. It will provide a very wide customer base for support and upgrades. If the US deal is confirmed, we will have won the last five big tanker deals. ” “Apart from the ‘off-the-shelf ’ C-17, the ADF hasn’t considered anything on an aviation scale like this before,” said GPCAPT Derwort. “What we are going to have is going to be the best!”