On board an A330-MRTT for in-flight refueling of fighter planes

An exercise that is always tricky to carry out, even for experienced pilots. In-flight refueling of fighter planes is a feared maneuver, during which “you must not force”, explains Captain Julien, pilot of an A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) refueling plane Phénix of the Army air and space.

Friday, we boarded one of the twelve MRTTs stationed at Istres Air Base 125 (Bouches-du-Rhône) for a resupply mission over Greece. An operation carried out as part of the Ramstein Flag24 exercise, organized under the aegis of NATO. Twelve nations and 130 aircraft are simulating combat over the Mediterranean until October 11, in order to work on the “interoperability” of NATO forces. France is participating with eight Rafales, one Awacs and one MRTT.

Real flying gas station

Deployed F-16s, F-18s, F-35s and other Rafales regularly need to be refueled in flight to complete their missions without interruption. This is where the Phénix comes in, a veritable flying gas station. Today’s mission involves refueling US Air Force F-35s and Romanian F-16s. These combat planes can only refuel with poles, not with baskets like the Rafale. But no problem for the MRTT, which has the particularity of offering both techniques.

“During so-called flexible refueling, two baskets located in a pod deploy on each side of the plane, and it is the fighter who directs his pole inside,” explains Captain Fabrice, of BA 125. In the case of rigid refueling, a boom – called the boom – extends 45 degrees at the rear of the aircraft, and it is up to the MRTT operator, called the boomer, to direct it into the hole located above the plane. The rigid pole also makes it possible to refuel wide-body aircraft, notably the Awacs. »

The fighter plane approaches the MRTT as closely as possible

We take off at 10:30 a.m. from the Istres air base to be in the area at 12:30 p.m., the time when the first refueling is scheduled. The first plane, an F-35, showed up a little late, at 12:50 p.m., to the left of the aircraft as required by the procedure common to all NATO member countries. At a speed of 300 knots (around 550 km/h) and an altitude of just under 8,000 meters, the American stealth plane weighing around fifteen tonnes approaches the MRTT as closely as possible, stabilizes, before disappear from the back of the device. Impressive.

“Generally, in three, four minutes the fighter is in contact with the MRTT, but it is very variable, because it depends on the weather conditions and the pilot,” continues Captain Julien. In any case, you have to take your time, because the danger is to get into it, so you go step by step. There are even times when refueling is not possible, because the pilot cannot stabilize, or he cannot get into the basket or catch the pole. It doesn’t matter, it’s planned, the plane always keeps enough fuel to return to land if necessary. »

The delicate approach of the F-35

If the pressure is on the pilots, it is just as much on the boomer. Especially since for Master Sergeant Rémi, it is the very first time that he has refueled the F-35. And the procedure is more delicate than for another plane. “The F-16, for example, is much more tolerant,” he explains to us. It’s an all-metal plane, and it’s not a problem if you lightly touch the cockpit with the pole before letting it slide into the hole. The F-35 is a composite plane with retractable doors, so you have to go directly into the receptacle. »

After deploying the boom at the rear of the plane and carrying out a few tests “to check that everything is working correctly”, Master Sergeant Rémi, installed in the cockpit with the two pilots, waits for contact, behind a monitor. When he has the plane in front of his screen thanks to cameras placed at the rear of the aircraft, he guides it using lamps positioned under the MRTT, which indicate to the fighter “forward, backward , higher, or lower. » “Once it is in the position that I consider good, and the device is stable, I maneuver with the boom to reach the refueling receptacle” continues the operator.

A flow rate of one ton of fuel per minute

Delivery can then begin. With a flow rate of around… one tonne of fuel delivered per minute. “It’s not the same as when you refuel your car,” jokes a soldier on the plane. Since fighters most often need two to five tons, the maneuver generally lasts little more than five minutes. “Once it’s finished,” continues Staff Sergeant Rémi, “I disconnect the boom, I retract the pole which I move as far away from the hunter as possible, then the latter moves to the right, into a reformation zone where he will wait until his patrol has finished before leaving this space. »

This first on the F-35 went off without a hitch for the operator, who had previously trained on a simulator. However, Staff Sergeant Rémi is not entirely satisfied. “I may have taken an angle that was a little too sharp and it was difficult to make contact,” he admits. But the five tons of fuel were delivered. Half an hour later, it’s time for the Romanian F-16s which will appear in several waves.

The MRTT, a multirole aircraft

The MRTT flew over this area between Sicily and Greece for about three hours in total, making loops in the sky. “They say he makes the racetrack,” explains Captain Fabrice. Below him, another Canadian tanker, which can only refuel with flexible, took care of supplying the Rafale participating in the exercise.

At the end of it, the MRTT remained in the perimeter until all the fighters had returned to their base. “If ever any trouble were to force them to stay in the air, they would need fuel again” explains Captain Fabrice. This is why even if it only delivered 17 tonnes of fuel, the Phénix took on 104 tonnes in total. In case. He himself consumed around 30 tonnes during the seven hours of this mission, since he flies at an average of “four to six tonnes-hour” specifies Master Sergeant Rémi.

Depending on its configurations, the MRTT can carry a maximum of 110 tonnes of fuel and thus ensure the deployment missions in external operations of fighter aircraft. For example, it allows four Rafales to be transported to the United Arab Emirates, or two fighters to Guyana. It is also a central element of nuclear deterrence, since it allows the Rafales of the Strategic Air Forces (FAS) to remain in flight for several hours if necessary.

But the Phénix’s missions do not stop there, since it is also a transport plane for people and equipment. If in its basic configuration, it can carry up to 88 people with freight and fuel, in the passenger transport version, it can carry up to 272 people. The MRTT can also be transformed into a medical aircraft for transporting injured people, with a Morphée version accommodating ten resuscitation modules for seriously injured people, or twenty stations for around forty lightly injured people.

Launched in 2014, the MRTT program plans to provide the Air Force with fifteen aircraft of this type by 2025. The last three Airbus A330-200s are thus being transformed into MRTTs in the factories. of Airbus Defense and Space in Spain.