THE
Air Force will acquire five new generation air-to-air refuelling
tankers with the capacity to refuel not only F/A-18s, but also
F-111s, the new Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft and
the Joint Strike Fighter.
Air Vice-Marshal John Monaghan, announced at the Defence and Industry
Conference in Canberra last week that tenders for the aircraft
and associated through-life support had to be submitted by October.
This follows approval for the project in the Federal Budget in
May.
“The new fleet will provide an enhanced capability over the
existing B707 tankers as each aircraft will be equipped with a
refuelling boom able to offload more fuel, faster,” AVM Monaghan
said.
“The tanker will also have a significant strategic air lift
capacity when not engaged in aerial refuelling tasks, including
the ability to carry passengers and cargo.
“The Defence 2000 White Paper identified that air-to-air
refuelling provides an essential force multiplier to the ADF’s
air combat capability.
“It is also likely to be a capability that will provide a
highly valued option as a niche contribution for operations with
future coalition partners.”
Defence will aim to sign a contract with the successful tenderer
during 2004, leading to the aircraft entering service from 2007.
The refuelling aircraft are expected to have a high degree of
commonality with current commercial passenger aircraft.”
