(Madrid, May 7, 2009) -- As part of the final stages of the A330 MRTT flight test campaign, the boom flutter testing has been completed.
Several flights were performed for the Flutter Vibration Test, including for the aero elastic characterization of the boom. The main objective of the testing is to check boom and aircraft behaviour by inducting vibrations on the boom ruddervators. The boom has been tested in several configurations and conditions, including with the boom fully deployed, at several heights and speeds up to Mach .92.
Since commencement of the second flight test phase in December 2008, Airbus Military has performed a range of testing. They included tanker and receiver flight control laws validation, underwing pod testing, boom data gathering and envelope expansion, as well as MIDS, Link 16 and military avionics and mission testing. A total of 107 flights were logged.
The A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), a military derivative of the successful A330-200 commercial airplane, was selected by Australia, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia and the USA.
Company Center : European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (Paris: EAD.PA)