RAAF tanker refuels JASDF fighter for first time

An RAAF KC-30A MRTT aircraft refuels a JASDF Mitsubishi F-2A over Japan in April 2022. (Australian Department of Defence)

A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) successfully refuelled a Mitsubishi F-2 aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) for the first time.

The refuelling was conducted as part of an air-to-air refuelling test programme held from 4 to 27 April. The programme involved nine flights between the KC-30A and the F-2. The flights were conducted under various conditions, including daylight, dusk, and night-time.

Air Commander Australia, Air Vice-Marshal Darren Goldie, said the successful flight-test programme would facilitate the increasing complexity and sophistication of bilateral engagement between both countries.

“Our ability to work seamlessly together will ensure we can continue to uphold and reinforce a secure, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” AVM Goldie said.

Goldie added that the flight-test programme is the culmination of two years of close co-operation between Australia's Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) and the JASDF Air Development and Test Wing (ADTW).

According to Wing Commander Alison Spark, air attaché for the Australian embassy in Japan, the KC-30A operated from Komaki Air Base in Nagoya. This air base also hosts the JASDF's own KC-767J tanker transport fleet.

“The flight-test [programme] was conducted with the KC-30A using its tail-mounted Advanced Refuelling Boom System (ARBS) to ‘plug' into a receptacle on a Mitsubishi F-2A (single-seat) and F-2B (dual-seat) aircraft,” Wg Cdr Spark said.

“The ARBS can extend to 19 metres when deployed, and is controlled by the air-refuelling operator using fly-by-wire controls in the KC-30A's cockpit,” Wg Cdr Spark added.

The flight tests are monitored by the refuelling operator using 3D display screens, as well as the F-2's own crew, and a chase aircraft.