Mid Air Refueling Tanker : Updates & Discussions

[randomradio]

From what I read, the USAF is going for 27 E-7A Wedgetail AWACS which will replace the E-3 Sentry. The satellite based radar system will most probably work in conjugation with the AWACS.

It's part of their "we screwed up" program. Their original plan was the E-3 will be upgraded and will be available until 2035, in time for the constellation to be ready. They had to change the plan when they realized the E-3 can't reliably fly that long, especially in the much more hostile environment of the West Pacific. So the E-7A will bridge the gap between the E-3's demise and the arrival of satellites, which is only expected to start from 2030. It's unknown when a global constellation will be ready, but once it's ready, most of these jets will become pointless.

The E-7 wasn't an air force program, Boeing developed it for the export market. The USAF became so desperate that they had to improvise by buying existing tech. This urgency is being seen in all services. If they had planned for it, we would have seen a more robust design based around more radars with a proper 360 deg capability on a much larger airframe.

The E-7's 737 has an MTOW of just around 80T versus 240T of the A330 or 160T of the E-3. For their own program, they would have chosen the 250T 787 or 300T 777 instead, or at least a 767 (200T).

Even the IAF has currently chosen a narrow-body design with limited capabilities, like the USAF. Otoh, Air India One is based on the 777-ER, which weighs 350T.

 

[Rajput Lion]

It's part of their "we screwed up" program. Their original plan was the E-3 will be upgraded and will be available until 2035, in time for the constellation to be ready. They had to change the plan when they realized the E-3 can't reliably fly that long, especially in the much more hostile environment of the West Pacific. So the E-7A will bridge the gap between the E-3's demise and the arrival of satellites, which is only expected to start from 2030. It's unknown when a global constellation will be ready, but once it's ready, most of these jets will become pointless.

The E-7 wasn't an air force program, Boeing developed it for the export market. The USAF became so desperate that they had to improvise by buying existing tech. This urgency is being seen in all services. If they had planned for it, we would have seen a more robust design based around more radars with a proper 360 deg capability on a much larger airframe.

The E-7's 737 has an MTOW of just around 80T versus 240T of the A330 or 160T of the E-3. For their own program, they would have chosen the 250T 787 or 300T 777 instead, or at least a 767 (200T).

Even the IAF has currently chosen a narrow-body design with limited capabilities, like the USAF. Otoh, Air India One is based on the 777-ER, which weighs 350T.

They also believed that a networked team of F-35s has as much SA and data as an AWACS aka its substitute in hostile territory. Maybe they believed too much in F-35s capability, who knows?

 

[Fatalis]

KC-46A: 97T fuel
A330 MRTT: 111T fuel
Converted KC-767: 72T fuel
Il-78: 100T fuel

If we are supposed to procure pre-owned KC-767 and convert them in the refuellers then it doesn't make sense to procure A330 MRTT in the future. Better to go with KC-46 in future for better operations, maintenance and logistics.

 

[randomradio]

They also believed that a networked team of F-35s has as much SA and data as an AWACS aka its substitute in hostile territory. Maybe they believed too much in F-35s capability, who knows?

The F-35 is excellent for passive localization when compared to AWACS, but its radar is not yet sufficient.

 

[randomradio]

KC-46A: 97T fuel
A330 MRTT: 111T fuel
Converted KC-767: 72T fuel
Il-78: 100T fuel

If we are supposed to procure pre-owned KC-767 and convert them in the refuellers then it doesn't make sense to procure A330 MRTT in the future. Better to go with KC-46 in future for better operations, maintenance and logistics.

Nah, the A330 is still better. It's bigger and much more modern, it carries more cargo and is cheaper to operate. It also has better avionics. We don't need to have common airframes due to the sheer numbers available in the civilian space as well. If anything, a common A330 airframe for both refueller and AWACS will make more sense. After all, Netra Mk2 will also be based on an Airbus platform. The same with our SIGINT/COMINT aircraft.

Plus the KC-46A has been giving problems. The USAF is already planning a new competition 'cause it doesn't meet all requirements. And LM is planning to offer the A330 to the USAF.

You can see the massive capability difference it makes.

Top Five Reasons Lockheed Martin Believes It Can Beat Boeing In The Next Round Of Tanker Competition

Lockheed is convinced it has the best aerial refueler for changing times.

www.forbes.com

The first 3 comments are interesting.

Which air refueling aircraft is better than the other, the Airbus A330 MRTT (KC-30A Voyager) or the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus?

Answer: At the moment the MRTT KC-30 because the KC-46 still has a lot of problems with the camera system during nighttime operations or when the sun is in a certain position it shines into the camera’s. When that is solved they would be fine, both of them. There is a difference in size and tha...

www.quora.com

The IAF is also gonna lease at least 1 A330 tanker, so it will eventually open up the gates for more tankers. We can then replace the IL-78 and second-hand B767 tankers with the American KC-Z stealth tanker after 2040.