Brazilian Air Force to receive first A330 on July 26

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) will resume operating multi-engine strategic transport aircraft on July 26, when the first KC-30, local designation of the A330-200 model, christened FAB 2901 and manned by military personnel from the Second Squadron of the Second Transport Group (2nd/2nd GT) – Corsair Squadron, lands at the Galeão Air Base (BAGL), in Rio de Janeiro.

In Ireland, the aircraft underwent a process of paint replacement to the traditional gray color and then to the United States (USA), where it will be received under the contract.

The aircraft is the first of the tender won by Azul Airlines, which foresees the delivery of two A330-200 models to supply the operational needs of the FAB in strategic actions, such as in-flight refueling (REVO), logistic air transport, and humanitarian aid.

The aircraft will be converted to the MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) version at Airbus Defence & Space’s facilities in Spain, more precisely in the city of Getafe.

One of the people in charge of the KC-X3 project, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel de Souza Ciqueira, from the General Support Command (Comgap), is in the United States to receive the aircraft.

“The aircraft will undergo a series of inspections and functional checks to certify its airworthiness and compliance with contractual requirements. With all tests completed, it will take off from the United States on July 25 and is expected to arrive in Brazil at 10:15 AM on July 26, thus completing the first phase of the reception,” he explained.

TRAINING

In June this year, the FAB military personnel operating the aircraft began an operational training course at the University of Azul (UniAzul) in Campinas (São Paulo). The KC-30 aircraft will be the largest vector ever operated by the FAB. It will restore the country’s strategic transport capacity, being able to carry 250 passengers and fly up to 8,000 nautical miles.

KC-30

In its history, the FAB has had only one vector capable of fulfilling this variety of strategic missions: the Boeing KC-137, which last flew in 2013. With the new acquisition, the capabilities of the KC-390 Millennium are integrated with the strategic employment characteristics of the KC-30, significantly increasing the operability and range of Transport Aviation.

A multi-mission strategic transport and REVO vector such as 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.

With great flexibility, the same cabin can be quickly reconfigured to meet aeromedical evacuation missions, i.e., molded to operational needs.

With information from InfoDefensa