Ministère de la Défense, August 21, 2020 - On July 22, 2020, the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and Airbus Helicopters carried out the first aerial refueling test flight with fuel transfer between an A400M Atlas transport aircraft and a H225M Caracal helicopter.
In the past, only "dry" in-flight contact tests had been carried out, in order to evaluate the aerodynamic behavior of the aircraft and to check the feasibility of the contacts between the helicopter's refueling probe and the aircraft basket.
This new test campaign, carried out from July 20 to 31 with an Airbus A400M and a Caracal from the French Air Force EH 1/67 “Pyrenees” helicopter squadron of Cazaux, aimed to transfer fuel between the two aircraft in order to fully assess the flight envelope and refueling performance.
For the Caracal helicopter, this new capacity adds to the one already in place with the KC-130J tanker aircraft of the Air Force.
On the A400M side, the aircraft is already suitable for refueling fighter jets like the Rafale, the C-130 or even another A400M. This campaign is part of the on-going certification scheduled to continue in 2021 and as one of the last remaining capacities for a final qualification expected for 2022.
The DGA flight test center supervised the performance of this program in compliance with specific health measures giving the current COVID-19 situation. The A400M and the Caracal were operated by mixed DGA / Airbus crews.
In the past, only "dry" in-flight contact tests had been carried out, in order to evaluate the aerodynamic behavior of the aircraft and to check the feasibility of the contacts between the helicopter's refueling probe and the aircraft basket.
This new test campaign, carried out from July 20 to 31 with an Airbus A400M and a Caracal from the French Air Force EH 1/67 “Pyrenees” helicopter squadron of Cazaux, aimed to transfer fuel between the two aircraft in order to fully assess the flight envelope and refueling performance.
For the Caracal helicopter, this new capacity adds to the one already in place with the KC-130J tanker aircraft of the Air Force.
On the A400M side, the aircraft is already suitable for refueling fighter jets like the Rafale, the C-130 or even another A400M. This campaign is part of the on-going certification scheduled to continue in 2021 and as one of the last remaining capacities for a final qualification expected for 2022.
The DGA flight test center supervised the performance of this program in compliance with specific health measures giving the current COVID-19 situation. The A400M and the Caracal were operated by mixed DGA / Airbus crews.
See also |
Super Puma / Cougar / Caracal in
Armée de l'Air EH01.067
Escadron d'Helicopteres 01.067 Armée de l'Air French Air Force Eurocopter EC725R2 Caracal
A400M First Contact with H225M and H160
A400M Close to Helicopter Refueling Certification
