AES is proud to be part of the European Defense Agency’s A3R H&D project and looks forward to a successful collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space.
The European Defense Agency (EDA), led by Spain and in cooperation with Germany, has launched a new research project to develop automatic aerial refueling (A3R) using a hose and drone system. An industrial consortium consisting of Airbus Defence and Space (Spain and Germany), GMV, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and AES Technology (Germany). A limited number of flight tests will be conducted in 2024 using an Airbus A330 MRTT tanker aircraft and Tornado aircraft provided by the two participating countries.
Innovation in the air
Air-to-air refueling (AAR) is one of the most important pillars of air mobility and a key multiplier for the armed forces. AAR is an operation that requires the pilots of the tanker aircraft and the receiver aircraft to operate in close formation, fly in variable flight conditions, day or night, and perform high-precision maneuvers to establish contact. While the hose and nozzle system used in AAR operations has evolved with new systems that provide tanker pilots with better information and situational awareness, the way refueling is performed has remained unchanged for 70 years.
For example, there have been no significant improvements in supporting the aircraft involved in the various phases of the AAR operation.
Although the success rate for hose and parachute contacts is high today, the impact of unsuccessful contacts is significant and often leads to mission abortions, damage to equipment, and impaired operational efficiency. The introduction of innovative automation features into AAR systems offers new opportunities to better support the aircraft during this operation and increases the success rate of AAR missions to maximize mission efficiency.
Airbus has already demonstrated the feasibility of greater AAR automation by achieving fully automated contact with the boom system in 2020 and the recent certification of a fully automated boom in 2022. The inclusion of research on the hose and drogue system will prepare aerial refueling aircraft such as the A330 MRTT, A400M, and C295 for more demanding missions and make them fit for the next generation of unmanned platforms.
