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Airbus A310 MRTT

Type (Muster)
Multi-role transport and tanker (Mehrzweck-Transportflugzeug und Tanker)

Country (Land)
France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
Airbus Industrie (Military Aircraft)
15, Avenue Didier Daurat
F-31707 Blagnac
France

Phone: 0033-561/93-3780
Fax: 0033-561/93-3221
Internet: www.airbus.com

Actual work on the German and Canadian A310 MRTTs is performed by a consortium of Airbus Deutschland (EADS) and Lufthansa Technik at Dresden and Hamburg.

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 2 plus flight-refuelling specialist
Passengers (Passagiere):
   - 214 in all passenger arrangement
   - 57 plus 40 tons of freight in combi arrangement with up to 12 palettes (8 x 108 inch) on main deck
   - six intensive care units plus 38 litters and 38 seats as a flying hospital
Freight (Fracht):
   - up to 16 palletes (88 x 108 inch) on the main deck
   - the bulk hold below the deck can take 17,3 m³ of cargo
   - the cargo holds below the deck can take up to 14 LD3 containers or 7 LD6 containers or 3 x 88 - 125 inch palettes in the forward section

Power plant (Antrieb): 2 x General Eectric CF6-80C2A8
Thrust (Schub): 2 x 238 kN
Fuel consumption (Kraftstoffverbrauch): 5300 l/h

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Length (Länge): 47,21 m
Height (Höhe): 15,81 m
Span (Spannweite): 43,90 m
Wing area (Flügelfläche): 219 sq m
Wing sweep (Flügelpfeilung): 28 degrees

Fuselage diameter (Rumpfdurchmesser): 5,64 m
Cabin length (Kabinenlänge): 33,25 m
max cabin width (max. Kabinenbreite): 5,28 m
max cabin height (max. Kabinenhöhe): 2,33 m

Weights (Massen)
Operating weight empty (Einsatz-Leermasse): 79000 kg
Max. payload (Max. Nutzlast): 33000 kg
Fuel (Kraftstoff): 48862 kg without ACTs plus 22800 kg in four additional tanks in the cargo compartment. Up to 36000 litres of additional fuel would be possible with five ACTs (Additional Centre Tanks)
Max. zero fuel weight (max. Masse ohne Kraftstoff): 114000 kg
Max. taxi weight (max. Rollmasse): 164800 kg
Max. take-off weight (Max. Startmasse): 157000 kg
Max. landing weight (Max. Landemasse): 123000 kg

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Optimum cruise speed (optimale Reisegeschwindigkeit): Mach 0.8
Economical cruise speed (wirtschaftliche Reisegeschwindigkeit): 825 km/h at 37000 ft
Max. operating speed (max. Geschwindigkeit): Mach 0.84 or 900 km/h at 30000 ft
landing speed (Landegeschwindigkeit): 250 km/h
Take-off distance, sea level,ISA +15 deg C (Startrollstrecke): 2180 to 2500 m
Landing distance (Landerollstrecke): 1550 m
Range (Reichweite):
   - 6950 km with 34 ton payload
   - 9540 km with 24 ton payload
   - 10550 km with auxiliary tanks and 18 tonnes payload
Fuel offlaod on station (Kraftstoffabgabe):

45 tons at 1000 NM from base, two hours on station with 5 fuselage tanks
30 tons on a ferry mission over 4600 km
escort four CF-18s over a distance of 2500 NM (4630 km)

Costs (Kosten)
The modification of four A310 MRT to MRTT tanker configuration for the Luftwaffe was said to cost 128 million Euro.
In late 2002, the Canadian contract for the conversion of two CC-150 Polaris was said to be worth 80 million Can. Dollars, plus 25 million for training, infrastructure and other associated costs.

Customers (Kunden)
The German Luftwaffe is operating seven A310-300s at its Flugbereitschaft transport squadron at Cologne/Bonn airport. These are used as follows:
* VIP services: 2. 10+21 Konrad Adenauer and 10+22 Theodor Heuss. Both have a VIP interior
* Passenger services: 1. 10+23 Kurt Schumacher
* MRTT: 4. 10+24 Otto Lilienthal, 10+25 Hermann Köhl, 10+26 Hans Grade and 10+27 August Euler
Other air forces have introduced A310s as well, among them:
* Canadian Air Force: 5. Designated CC-150. One is operated in the VIP role, the others are VIP/Combi. Two will be modified to tankers by Elbe Flugzeugwerke. Handover of the first was on 29 September 2004.
* Armée de l´Air: 3. A310-304, all used for VIP/passenger operations
* Royal Thai Air Force: 1. A310-324, introduced in November 1991 for VIP use
* Belgian Air Force: 2. A310-222. Introduced in 1997 and 1998 for VIP and transport use
* Spanish Air Force: 2. A310-304.
* Kuwait: 1. A310-308. Introduced in 1993 for VIP use
* Qatar Amiri Flight: 1. A310-304. Introduced in 1998 for VIP use
* Brunei: 1. A310-304. Introduced in June 1987 for VIP use

Competition (Konkurrenz)
Boeing 767 tanker variants

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
The A310-300 MRTT is a multi-role tanker and transport aircraft based on the civil A310-300. Modifications include:

a side cargo door
up to five additional fuel tanks in the cargo bays, with a maximum of 36000 litres fuel. The A310 MRTTs of the Luftwaffe use four MCTs, each holding 5700 litres.
a fuel operator station behind the cockpit
2 x Flight Refuelling Mk32B-907 refuelling pods under the outer wings, providing a flow of 1500 litres (420 US Gal) per minute each. The drogue has a length of 75 ft.
changes to the fuel system
receiver surveillance system
tanker lighting, including airframe illumination, infrared floodlight, formation lights and encoding beacon
tanker marking with stripes

History (Geschichte)
After the reunification of Germany, the Luftwaffe introduced three A310-300s from defunct GDR flag carrier Interflug. Official in service date was 1 May 1991.
From July 1992 to January 1993, aircraft 10+21 „Konrad Adenauer“ was fitted with a VIP interior at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg. Aircraft 10+22 „Theodor Heuss“ followed from January 1993 to June 1993.
To boost capacity and compensate for the retirement of its 707s, the Luftwaffe bought another four A310s from Lufthansa. The first two were delivered in August and December 1996. The other two followed in November 1998 and October 1999.
The ex-Lufthansa aircraft were fitted with a cargo door, thus becoming A310 MRTs (Multi-Role Transports). The work was performed by Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden (10+24 and 10+27) and Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg (10+25 and 10+26).
Operations with the A310 MRT variant commenced on 25 March 1999, with flights to the Kosovo.
Modification of the four A310 MRTs to MRTTs (Tankers) was approved by the German Bundestag budget committee on 6 December 2000. This included only the fixed parts and development. Approval for the so-called B-Kits (ACTs, refuelling pods) followed in December 2001. Contractor is the so called „Consortium A310 MRTT Luftwaffe“, formed in 1996 by EADS (Dasa) and Lufthansa Technik.
Work on the first MRTT for the Luftwaffe started in the autumn of 2002 at Elbe Flugzeugwerke. Around 50 people were directly involved in the programme.
On 16 October 2002, the Canadian Minister of National Defence announced a 105-million Dollar project to modify two CC-150 Polars (A310) aircraft with AAR refuelling kits. John McCallum signed a contract with the Airbus Germany/Lufthansa Technik consortium for work to start in the fall of 2003.
On 9 December 2003, the first A310 MRTT (10+27) fitted for the additional tanker role was presented at EADS subsidiary Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden. This was the first Airbus tanker ever produced and the company voiced high hopes to capture an important slice of the wordlwide tanker replacement market in the coming years.
The A310 MRTT flew for the first time on 20 December 2003 for 3 hours, 25 minutes. Pilots were Klaus-Dieter Flade and Karl-Heinz Mai. It was to be used for about 42 to 45 test flights, including 15 with receiver aircraft. This phase was planned until April 2003, so that handover to the Luftwaffe could be accomplished in May.
In reality, the firstin-flight refueling trials as part of the certification process of the A310 Multi-Role Transport Tanker (MRTT), were reported in only in late July 2004, achieving in-flight refueling with an Airbus aircraft for the very first time. The in-flight refueling trials included both "dry contacts" as well as "wet contacts" with two receiver aircraft, one Panavia Tornado and one F-18 Hornet (from the Swiss Air Force). Up to 270 US gallons of fuel were transferred for the F-18, while the Tornado received up to 260 US gallons.
Testing involved 56 flights with 174 hours, with fuel transfer tested at altitudes form 1500 to 10700 m and at speeds up to Mach 0.84.
The first two A310 MRTT were handed over to the German Air Force and the Canadian Air Force, during a ceremony in Dresden, Germany, on 29 September 2004, around four months late.
Currently six A310s are scheduled for conversion to MRTT versions. Three of these aircraft, including the one that was used for the refueling trials, are undergoing conversion at Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) - an EADS company - in Dresden, Germany, while the conversion work on the other three aircraft will be performed at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany.

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Last updated 7 October 2004

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