A Royal Australian Air Force A330 tanker, the same type EADS hopes to sell to the U.S. Air Force, marked a performance milestone with the first in-flight refueling of a fighter. The test involved the integrated Aerial Refueling Boom System. The fuel was transferred to two F-16. The flight lasted four hours and 30 minutes, with more than 3,300 pounds of fuel transferred during 13 contacts. (Source: EADS North America, 10/22/09) Gulf Coast note: Boeing is competing against the Northrop Grumman/EADS team to build tankers for the Air Force. Northrop/EADS wants to assemble them in Mobile, Ala.
NEWS: A digest of aerospace, defense and technology news from the Gulf Coast I-10 region
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tanker passes fuel to fighter
A Royal Australian Air Force A330 tanker, the same type EADS hopes to sell to the U.S. Air Force, marked a performance milestone with the first in-flight refueling of a fighter. The test involved the integrated Aerial Refueling Boom System. The fuel was transferred to two F-16. The flight lasted four hours and 30 minutes, with more than 3,300 pounds of fuel transferred during 13 contacts. (Source: EADS North America, 10/22/09) Gulf Coast note: Boeing is competing against the Northrop Grumman/EADS team to build tankers for the Air Force. Northrop/EADS wants to assemble them in Mobile, Ala.
