Advanced Aerial Refueling Boom for Northrop Grumman's KC-45 Tanker Concludes Testing...

Advanced Aerial Refueling Boom for Northrop Grumman's KC-45 Tanker Concludes
Testing Phase
Advanced aerial refueling system demonstrates its capabilities and maturity,
achieving all test objectives

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The advanced Aerial Refueling
Boom System (ARBS) for Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) KC-45 Tanker
has completed its testing and validation phase. Over the final two-day flight
test period, the ARBS conducted more than 20 contacts with an F-16 fighter
aircraft and, thereby, successfully achieved all remaining test objectives.
Completion of the boom test program confirmed the capabilities and
maturity of the ARBS, which is a key element of the KC-45 Tanker. The ARBS
also is incorporated on the similar KC-30B Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT)
for Australia -- the first of which will be delivered next year to the Royal
Australian Air Force.
"The ARBS test program has been a total success and has met all planned
objectives," said Paul Meyer, vice president and general manager of Northrop
Grumman Air Mobility Systems. "The Air Force has made it abundantly clear
they need to modernize the aging KC-135 fleet as quickly as possible.
Completing the ARBS test and development program clearly demonstrates that we
stand ready to deliver the best capability while meeting the most demanding
schedule."
The ARBS test program spanned several years and included developmental
testing, which began in the EADS System Integration Laboratory before moving
to the ARBS Ground Test Rig. Activities then shifted to the flight phase in
March 2006 with flights conducted on board the EADS A310 Boom Demonstrator
aircraft.
"We take great pride in achieving this historic milestone," said Ralph D.
Crosby, Jr., chairman and CEO of EADS North America. "Successfully completing
the test phase of the world's first all-electric fly-by-wire boom system
proves we are on schedule and ready to deliver what will be the most capable,
most reliable system flying today. Our men and women in uniform deserve
nothing less."
Over the 40-month flight test phase, the ARBS successfully refueled
numerous aircraft to include F-16 fighter aircraft, NATO Airborne Warning and
Control System aircraft, and proximity testing with the Royal Australian Air
Force KC-30B MRTT. In total the ARBS accomplished 80 contacts and logged more
than 146 flight hours during 122 sorties. Numerous wet and dry contacts were
made at various altitudes and airspeeds, confirming both the ease of operation
and the high nominal fuel flow rate. The large ARBS in-flight refueling
envelope was fully explored, validated, and shown to be significantly larger
in all axes than the KC-135's envelope.
Successful completion of the ARBS flight test program will be followed by
the system's final acceptance on the Royal Australian Air Force KC-30B MRTT.
The ARBS, previously installed on the first KC-30B, will perform both wet and
dry in-flight contacts prior to the aircraft's delivery to Australia in 2009.
The all-electric ARBS provides highly accurate, reliable in-flight
refueling, with a maximum nominal fuel flow rate of 1,200 U.S. gallons per
minute -- 33% more than more than the KC-135 whose rate is 900 gallons per
minute. Modern fly-by-wire technology incorporated in the ARBS provides
enhanced controllability and includes an automatic load alleviation system
that greatly aids the boom operator -- as well as the receiver aircraft's
pilot -- during refueling operations.
The multi-role KC-45 Tanker is derived from the highly popular A330
jetliner. The A330-based multi-role tanker/transport aircraft has won the
five most recent competitions for new aerial refueling aircraft, including
Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the
U.S. Air Force.
About the KC-45
The KC-45 Tanker aircraft will be assembled in Mobile, Ala. --
establishing Mobile as the new cornerstone of the Southern Aerospace Corridor.
The program will employ 48,000 American workers at over 230 U.S. companies in
nationwide; and will be built by a world-class industrial team led by Northrop
Grumman and including EADS North America, General Electric Aviation, and
Cobham's Sargent Fletcher.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company
whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in
information and services, electronics, aerospace, and shipbuilding to
government and commercial customers worldwide.
SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation

Randy Belote, +1-703-875-8525, randy.belote@ngc.com, or Tim Paynter,
+1-321-961-1101, tim.paynter@ngc.com, both of Northrop Grumman Corporation