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Airbus KC-45 (KC-30)

2011 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History

KC-45 is/was a joint proposal by US prime contractor Northrop Grumman and Dutch subcontractor EADS (European Aerospace Defense and Space Corporation N.V.) to deliver a new Air Tanker Air Force (United States Air Force). The vehicle is designed to replace and upgrade the current fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers in service. Northrop Grumman/EADS successfully competed with a similar proposal from Boeing and secured an initial order for 179 KC-45s from the U.S. Air Force. However, Boeing publicly protested the selection process and launched a new competition in July 2008.

This move inevitably prompted Northrop Grumman to withdraw from the competition on March 8, 2010, in favor of Boeing. Despite Northrop Grumman's absence, EADS claims it is moving forward with its KC-45 proposal - which was announced on April 20, 2010.

With an estimated cost per unit of $200 million, the development of the KC-45 from the existing Airbus A330 MRTT (Multipurpose Tanker Transport) family is gaining momentum across Europe.

In the late 1990s, the U.S. Air Force indicated a need for an overhaul of its KC-135 system fleet. Since entering service in 1957, the KC-135 has served the broader interests of the U.S. Air Force for decades, while also serving on the roster of the French, Singaporean and Turkish Air Forces. Some 803s were eventually produced by the American manufacturer Boeing, with production ending in 1965.

The KC-135 itself was developed from the existing C-135 Stratolifter cargo aircraft, which also entered service in 1957.

The initial response to replacing the KC-135 was to convert the existing Boeing 767-200 airframe for aerial refueling missions. The 767-200 successfully competed with the French-designed modified Airbus 330 series. The intent is that the USAF will lease the 767-200 airframes directly from Boeing rather than buy them outright, and the aircraft will receive the military designation "KC-767". However, in January 2006, acting US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld cancelled the KC-767 outright due to budget concerns, opting instead to extend the KC-10 extender and KC-135 stratosphere for the US Air Force in the short term Tanker series.

Later that year, the Air Force submitted a request for a new aerial refueling tanker to meet the demands of the new battlefield. This requirement created the "KC-X" program, with the goal of getting a finished product the following year.

The program will be implemented in three distinct phases, culminating in the delivery of the new fleet.

In the first phase, Northrop Grumman's KC-30 successfully competed with Boeing's KC-767, the US Department of Defense announced on February 29, 2008. Unhappy with the results, Boeing contacted the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and formally protested the choice.

On June 18, 2008, the GAO sided with Boeing's protests and rejected the Department of Defense's selection of Northrop Grumman's products, noting that an appropriate assessment pathway was not used in the selection process. On July 9, 2008, it was announced that a new competition would be held to consider both options, but the KC-X proposal was eventually cancelled entirely by the US Department of Defense on September 10, 2008. The U.S. Air Force began a new search for aerial tankers and announced the same results in September 2009.

By March 2010, Northrop Grumman had withdrawn from the game in protest, leaving it to EADS.

The KC-30 (the U.S. Air Force's proposed name for the KC-45A) will consist of a crew of three, including two pilots and a rear boom operator. The Advanced Air Refueling Boom System (ARBS) delivers 1,200 gallons per minute of fuel to waiting aircraft. The airframe will be powered by two GE CF6-80E1A4B turbofan engines, each capable of delivering up to 72,000 lbf of thrust.

Maximum fuel capacity is nearly 245,000 pounds, and maximum takeoff weight is 507,063 pounds. Top speed is reported to be 547 mph, range is around 7,770 miles, and service is capped at 41,000 feet. The exterior design is traditional, with a pair of low-slung monoplane wings, each with an engine mounted below. Each wing sweeps widely along the leading edge.

The fuselage takes a traditional shape that mimics their Airbus 330 origins in detail. The rear wing is conventional, with a pair of low horizontal planes and a vertical rear wing.

If the Northrop Grumman/EADS product goes into production through the initial DoD option, the companies will spend approximately $600 million to build the necessary assembly facilities in the United States. EADS has since launched a public-focused campaign in various media in support of its Airbus offering, saying Boeing's submission would increase long-term costs for the Air Force by 15% to 40%. It is understood that at least five A330 MRTTs have been completed and evaluations are underway. At least four parties have committed to the A330 MRTT, and Australia is expected to be the world's first operator of the series by the end of 2010.

The Airbus A330 MRTT has completed its second flight for the Royal Air Force, which has so far committed 14 prototypes, with deliveries starting in late 2011.

Update: On February 25, 2011, as expected, the US Department of Defense announced $3. The $5 billion KC-X engineering and manufacturing development contract was awarded to Boeing, ending the Airbus A330 MRTT program.