RAF FSTA
Description
Role	Air-to-air refueling
Crew	2 Pilots & AAR operator
Unit cost
Primary contractor	Air Tanker Ltd.
Date deployed	Estimated 2008
Inventory
Dimensions
Length	193 ft	59 m
Wingspan (to winglet tips)	197 ft 10 in	60.3m
Height	57 ft	17.4m
Cargo
Weights
Dry
Loaded
Max. peace-time take-off Weight	507,000 lb	217,000 kg.
Powerplant
Engines	Two Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofan engines
Thrust	71,000 lbf each	316 kN each
Performance
Maximum speed	540 kt	Mach 0.82
Ferry range	6,450 nm / Global, with in-flight refueling
Service ceiling	41,000 ft	12,500 m
Load

The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) will provide aerial refueling (AR) and Air Transport (AT) for the Royal Air Force using a version of the Airbus A330 MRTT. The Royal Australian Air Force announced in April 2004 that they had selected Airbus to provide tankers to a similar specification. Download high resolution version (1000x652, 82 KB)KC-330 This work is copyrighted. ... Aerial refueling, also called in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR), is the practice of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. ... Rolls-Royce Trent 900 on A380 prototype Rolls Royce Trent is a family of high-bypass turbofan engine manufactured by Rolls-Royce, developments of the famous RB211 with thrust ratings spanning between 53,000 to 95,000 lbf (236 to 423 kN). ... CFM56-3 turbofan, lower half, side view. ... Aerial refueling, also called in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR), is the practice of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. ... Aerial refueling, also called in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR), is the practice of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. ... Aviation or Air transport refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ... The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a next generation aerial refueling tanker aircraft based on the Airbus A330-200. ... The RAAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force, with the central circle replaced by a Kangaroo, a symbol of Australia. ...

Background

Plans involve the replacement of the RAF's current fleet of Vickers VC10s from 2008 and the Lockheed Tristars around 2012. The new fleet will continue to operate from the RAF air transport hub, RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. It has yet to be announced what role the current AAR/AT squadrons, No. 10 and No. 101, will have in the PFI arrangement. The VC-10 airliner was designed and built by Vickers in the 1960s. ... Orbital Sciences Stargazer Lockheed L-1011 The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar was the third widebody passenger jet airliner to reach the marketplace, following the Boeing 747 jumbo jet and the Douglas DC-10. ... Categories: Stub | Oxfordshire | Royal Air Force stations ... No. ... No. ...

The FSTA will be a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) where the RAF will pay for aerial refueling and air transport missions as required. The RAF will continue to retain responsibility for all military missions, whilst the contractor will own, manage and maintain the aircraft and also provide training facilities and some personnel. The private company will also be able to earn extra revenue by using aircraft for commercial operations when not required by the RAF - the most suitable of which would be leased air-refueling missions for other European air forces. The RAF however will always have the "first call" on aircraft, being able to mobilise the entire fleet in times of crisis. The Private Finance Initiative specifies a method, developed initially by the United Kingdom government, to provides financial support for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) between the public and private sectors. ...

Competition

Final bids for the project were received from the two competing consortia on 30 April 2003.

• Air Tanker Ltd offered a mix of new and used Airbus A330-200s, team comprised of,
  • Rolls-Royce - Trent Turbofans
  • Cobham - Air-refuelling hose and drogue system
  • EADS - Airbus A330-200
  • Thales Group - Avionics etc.

• Tanker Transport Services Consortium (TTSC) offered converted British Airways Boeing 767's.
  • British Airways - Aircraft
  • Boeing - Conversion technology, using the USAF KC-767 as the basis of the design.
  • BAE Systems - Conversion of majority of aircraft and mission systems.
  • Marshall Aerospace
  • Serco
  • Spectrum Capital

Air Canada Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a large_capacity medium_to_long_range commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Airbus. ... Rolls-Royce plc (also known as Rolls-Royce Aero Engines) is the second-largest aircraft engine maker in the world, behind General Electrics GE Aircraft Engines division. ... Rolls-Royce Trent 900 on A380 prototype Rolls Royce Trent is a family of high-bypass turbofan engine manufactured by Rolls-Royce, developments of the famous RB211 with thrust ratings spanning between 53,000 to 95,000 lbf (236 to 423 kN). ... There are several towns and villages called Cobham, mostly in England. ... European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) is a large European industrial corporation of the aerospace business, formed by the merger on July 10, 2000 of Aérospatiale-Matra of France, Dornier and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany, and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) of Spain. ... Air Canada Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a large_capacity medium_to_long_range commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Airbus. ... The Thales Group is a global electronics company serving aerospace, defence, and information technology markets worldwide. ... The onboard electronics used for piloting an aircraft are called avionics(AVI-ation electr-ONICS). ... British Airways is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. ... The Boeing 767 is a commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. ... British Airways is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) is the leading American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, near Seattle, Washington. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... The Boeing KC-767 is a next generation military aerial refueling and strategic transport aircraft developed primarily for the USAF from the Boeing 767-200. ... BAE Systems is the worlds fourth largest defence contractor and a commercial aerospace products manufacturer. ... Marshall Aerospace is the aerospace division of Marshall of Cambridge. ... Serco Group plc is an international company with several branches. ...

Aircraft Selection

The UK Ministry of Defence announced on January 26, 2004 that Air Tanker had been selected to enter into final negotiations to provide the RAF's FSTA. This articles deals with the British ministry, see defence minister for other countries. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ...

The reasons for the selection of Air Tanker are many and varied but some include,

• An overall more capable aircraft in the Airbus A330
  • The Airbus A330-200 can carry over 50 % more fuel than the KC-767 and can therefore fly further, stay on station longer and refuel more aircraft.
  • Huge fuel offload of 111 tonnes is achieved without the need for additional fuel tanks - leaving aircraft cabin free for passenger and air cargo operations.
  • Equipped with the most advanced flight deck in the wide-body aircraft market, incorporating the latest "fly-by-wire" systems.
  • Extensive use of lightweight composite materials, resulting in reduced fuel consumption, increased durability and better corrosion resistance.
• The attraction of a European solution with associated employment,
  • Aircraft conversion to tanker configuration
  • Fitment of military avionics
  • Aircraft certification
• Tension between Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems over project delays and cost rises on other major projects (e.g. Nimrod MR4 and Astute SSN)

Air Canada Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a large_capacity medium_to_long_range commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Airbus. ... A flight control system consists of the flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkage, and necessary operating mechanisms to control aircraft in flight The basic fundamentals of aircraft controls has been explained in aeronautics. ... The BAE SYSTEMS Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft is derived from the De Havilland Comet, the worlds first jet airliner. ... BAE SYSTEMS Artist Impression When completed, the Astute class will comprise the largest nuclear-powered attack submarines of the Royal Navy. ...

Contract negotiations

Following aircraft selection the UK MoD began exclusive negotiations with the Airtanker consortium. However, beginning in April 2004, there were rumours about the fragile state of the contract negotiations. This culminated in an ultimatium by the UK's Defence Procurement Agency, delivered to EADS, demanding a reduced price for the aircraft. With continuing doubts over the FSTA programme Marshall Aerospace, responsible for the conversion of the RAF's original Tristars, have offered to buy and convert some of the large number of surplus commercial Tristars. This would give the UK a much needed increase in capacity (with the upcoming retirement of the VC-10 fleet) at a fraction of the cost of the £13Bn FSTA project. Marshall Aerospace is the aerospace division of Marshall of Cambridge. ...

On February 28, 2005 the MoD named Airtanker as its preferred bidder for the £13bn contract. February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

External Links

• Air Tanker Limited
• BBC News: EADS closes in on RAF tanker deal

BBC News and Current Affairs (sometimes abbreviated BBC NCA) is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations news gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ...