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Background
— Strategic Air-to-Air Refuelling — CC-150T Polaris |
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CC-150 MRTT – a ‘Not Quite Ready for Primetime’ Polaris
On 16 October 2002, DND signed the order to modify two CF CC-150
Polaris aircraft to ‘Multi-Role Tanker Transport’ or MRTT configuration. The
CC-150 MRTT or ‘CC-150T’ is the outcome of DND’s SAAR (
Strategic Air-to-Air Refuelling) project which adds in-flight refuelling duties to the
standard roles of strategic cargo/passenger transport. Since CC-150Ts are nearly identical to serving
Luftwaffe Airbus A310 MRTT conversions, DND was able to ‘ride’ on the Germans’ tanker program.
Re-delivery of the two CC-150Ts (aircraft ’005 and ’004) was to be August 2004 and February 2005
respectively but there have been ‘slippages’ almost from the beginning of this project.
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CC-150T MRTT – Combi Carriers Get Hosed
To become strategic tankers, the two CC-150Ts received twin pylon-mounted Mk32B hose-and-
droque refuelling pods – one near each wingtip. Pods are powered by the small, slipstream-driven propellers on
their nose. A drogue stowed in the rear of the pod (left) is reeled out when needed, dragging a
refuelling hose behind it. The drogue forms a basket to receive the refuelling probe of the CF-18 fighter.
At present, no other CF aircraft type could receive fuel from a CC-150T.[1]
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The pods and other in-flight refuelling operations are controlled from a new station on the
portside of the flight deck. The AAR operator controls the pods and their hoses while monitoring
operations via video. The CC-150 has fuel tanks in its wings, tail (trim tank), and centre section.
Up to five Add- itional Centre Tanks (or ACTs) can be installed in the belly cargo bays sandwiching the centre tank.
The pods are fed fuel from that centre tank which, in turn, is fed by those other tanks. [2] Ironically,
the fuel in the wings closest to the pods is used exclusively by the CC-150. [3]
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Any Minute Now ... Operational Test & Evaluation for the CC-150T MRTT
The CC-150T is now undergoing final testing. It has not been an easy road. EADS officially ‘rolled out’
the first CC-150T in Dresden in Sept. of 2004. [4] Although already running two months late, DND did not consider
the delay to be serious and work continued at a leisurely pace. CT-150T 15005 finally appeared at CFB Trenton
with pods mounted in early 2007. Since then, the CC-150T have mostly been used as straight transports
with pods removed. They are currently ungoing final trails with the Transport Operational Test and Evaluation
Facility (TOTEF) at Trenton in cooperation with the Aeronautical Engineering Test Establishment (AETE) at Cold
Lake.
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[1] Like US C-17s, CC-177 Globemaster IIIs have refuelling receptacles but can only receive fuel from a USAF
‘flying boom’-style drogue.
[2] The ACT are based on optional long-range tanks for civilian A310s (civilian aircraft can take two ACTs, whereas
MRTTs take 4-or-5 ).
[3] Obviously, using the outer wing fuel tanks only reduces the range of the CC-150T. The standard CC-150
Polaris carrying passengers has a range of about 7400 km. The CC-150T MRTT will be able to offload
57.5 tonnes of fuel but only reducing its own range to 1850 km.
[4] The CC-150T MRTT conversions were carried out under subcontract at the Dresden facilities of the EFW (Elbe
Flugzeugwerke GmbH). However, the actual A310 MRTT conversion package is being offered by a consortium of Airbus
(EADS) and Lufthansa Technik (LHT).
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