Last month EADS broke into the refueling market by launching the first of six converted A310s for the German and Canadian air forces.
To minimize the possibility of sparking or arcing it is necessary that everything in the aircraft structure wings and control systems be properly bonded or earthed to a common bonding plain. This would be especially true on a fuel tanker.
Airbus Indusrie created Technical Design Directive TDD 20A001. This document covered the following subject areas:
1) Electrical Bonding
2) Lightning strike protection
3) Electrostatic discharge.
The A-310 was put into production prior to the full sign off on the TDD and as such the aircraft was never tested for compliance with the requirements of the TDD at least not in the early stages of production of the A-310. When I worked on the program the secondary flight control systems (flaps and slats) were not bonded to the wing structure.
All; I can say to the Canadian forces and the German Air Force is Caveat Emptor.
