From JDW:
Date Posted: 16-Apr-2004
JANE’S DEFENCE WEEKLY – APRIL 21, 2004
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Australia opts for A330-200 tanker transport
IAN BOSTOCK JDW Correspondent
Sydney
The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has selected the European Aeronautic Defence and Space ( EADS) company as the preferred tenderer to provide the next-generation air-to-air refuelling (AAR) capability for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), despite considerable last-minute lobbying by the rival bid team led by Boeing.
Under Project Air 5402, EADS will supply five Airbus A330-200 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft and several years’ worth of associated logistical support in a package worth around A$2 billion (US$1.5 billion). The precise figure is thought to be at least A$100 million below the cost cap for Air 5402, which is understood to be approximately A$2.3 billion.
Boeing increased its lobbying of the DoD and pushed its proposal for the assembly of all but the first of the 767 Tanker Transports (TTs) in Australia as well as arguing that its aircraft was able to use more runways in Australia than its competitor (JDW 14 April).
The acquisition of five A330-200 MRTTs instead of the original four requested in the tender will enable the RAAF to deploy two flights of AAR aircraft to two theatres of operation that are active concurrently.
The A330-200 MRTT will replace the B707 AAR aircraft, which the RAAF has been obliged to keep operating for several years past its intended life.
Deliveries of the new aircraft will run from 2007 to 2009 and operate with 33 Squadron out of RAAF Base Richmond, northwest of Sydney.
The RAAF A330-200 MRTT differs from that selected recently by the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) by way of a refuelling system that consists of both wing-mounted hose-and-drogue pods and a centreline flying boom system. As the RAF aircraft are to be fitted with the hose-and-drogue system only, the RAAF will be the launch customer for the flying boom system. Yet to be fitted to any EADS aircraft, the latter is currently under development by EADS-CASA in Spain.
Australian A330-200 MRTTs will be able to refuel all RAAF frontline combat aircraft. These include the F/A-18 Hornet multirole fighter, R/F-111C/G strike aircraft, the planned F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the new Wedgetail airborne early-warning and control aircraft.
Brendan Roberts, the newly appointed chief executive officer for EADS Australia Pacific, told JDW that the A330-200 MRTT’s large internal fuel payload and high cruise speed allows a single aircraft to refuel en route a flight of six F/A-18s on a non-stop 4,000km deployment from RAAF Base Darwin to Butterworth, Malaysia.
Even on such a long deployment and with a full fuel load, the aircraft’s internal cargo-carrying capacity still allows it to simultaneously carry 43 tonnes of support equipment and stores.
This “greater capability” over the Boeing 767 offer, said Minister for Defence Robert Hill, and the “increased endurance and offload of fuel” were the primary reasons that warranted selection of the A330-200 MRTT.
Qantas Defence Services, a wholly owned division of Australian airline Qantas, will provide deeper-level maintenance, logistical support and training programmes for RAAF aircrews and maintenance personnel. Qantas, which is withdrawing its B767 fleet from service, will operate 20 Airbus A330 civil airliners by 2005.
The loss is the second hit for Boeing in the past four months after it lost a similar UK requirement, the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) requirement on 26 January, to the same platform and bidding team (JDW 4 February). Final contractual negotiations continue on this requirement.
Boeing remained bullish following the FSTA loss to the EADS-Airbus bid, pointing out that the UK requirement centred around a Private Finance Initiative where the winning bidder would retain ownership of the aircraft.
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