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An Airbus D&A 330 MRTT
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A330 MRTT expected to increase operational radius of S. Koreans fighter planes
The South Korean Air Force’s first-ever aerial refueling aircraft will reportedly be arriving on Nov. 12. The Air Force is predicting a historic increase in the operational radius of South Korean fighter planes once the aircraft has been introduced. “The first aerial refueling aircraft will be arriving in South Korea on Nov. 12,” an Air Force official confirmed on Nov. 2, adding that it would “undergo various acceptance trials over the next month.” Acceptance trials are a procedure for testing whether weapons and equipment delivered to the military meet the specified quality demands. During the acceptance trial period, the Air Force plans to fly the aerial refueling aircraft and test actual fueling of the F-15K and KF-16 fighter aircraft. The aerial refueling aircraft in question is reportedly an A330 MRTT made by Airbus D&S, measuring 59 meters in length and 60 meters in width with a maximum fuel capacity of 240,000 pounds (108 tons). In addition to the first aircraft, the Air Force plans to introduce three more next year. It has already completed its selection and training of pilots, mechanics, and fueling controllers for the aircraft. Once the aircraft have been integrated, South Korean fighter planes will gain over an hour of aerial operation time. Currently, a fully fueled F-15K cannot operate beyond 30 minutes from the Dokdo islets or 20 minutes from Ieo Island. With a single refueling from the aircraft, operation times will increase to around 90 minutes from Dokdo and 80 minutes from Ieo Island, the Air Force explained. By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
