The aircraft is the first of the bidding process won by Azul Linhas Aereas, which foresees the delivery of two A330-200 models
Agência Força Aérea
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) will receive, on July 26, the first KC-30, which will be baptized as FAB 2901. In Ireland, the aircraft went through a process of paint replacement to the traditional gray color of the FAB aircraft and then on to the United States (USA), where it will be received contractually. The aircraft is the first of the bidding process won by Azul Linhas Aereas, which foresees the delivery of two A330-200 models, with the objective of supplying the operational needs of FAB in strategic actions, such as in-flight refueling (REVO), logistic air transport and humanitarian aid.
One of the KC-X3 Project managers, Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel de Souza Ciqueira, from the General Support Command (COMGAP), is in the United States to receive the aircraft and explained about the procedures that will take place on American soil. “The aircraft will undergo a series of inspections and functional checks to certify its airworthiness and compliance with contractual requirements. With all the tests done, on July 25 it will take off from the USA, and it is expected to arrive in Brazil at 10:15am on July 26, thus finishing the first phase of the receipt”, he explained.
The final destination in Brazil is the Galeão Air Base (BAGL), in Rio de Janeiro, where the KC-30 will be operated by military personnel from the Second Squadron of the Second Transport Group (2º/2º GT) – Corsair Squadron.
Training
In June of this year, FAB personnel who will operate the aircraft began an operational training course at the Universidade da Azul (UniAzul), in Campinas (SP). The KC-30 aircraft will be the largest vector ever operated by FAB and will bring back the strategic transport capacity to the country, being able to carry 250 passengers and fly up to 8,000 nautical miles.
KC-30
In its entire history, FAB has only had one aircraft capable of performing this variety of strategic missions: the Boeing KC-137, which last flew in 2013. With the new acquisition, FAB unites the possibilities of the KC-390 Millennium with the strategic employment characteristics of the KC-30, resulting in a significant increase in its operationality.
A multi-mission strategic transport and REVO vector like the KC-30 is characterized by its ability to carry passengers in a conventional commercial cabin and a large volume of cargo in the holds on long-haul flights. The same cabin can be quickly reconfigured to fulfill aeromedical evacuation missions, i.e., molded according to operational needs, with great flexibility.
Thus, with the combination of the potentialities of the two aircraft, the Brazilian Air Force achieves an extraordinary operational leap in Transport Aviation and guarantees, even more effectively, the maintenance of airspace sovereignty and the integration of the national territory, aiming at the defense of the Homeland.
Fotos: Força Aérea Brasileira – Texto: Tenente Marayane Ribeiro e Aspirante Eniele Santos / CECOMSAER ***English Version by DEFCONPress Team***