Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 11:34:50 PM by sukhoi-30mki

Israel Bolsters KC-707 Refueling Fleet

Jan 14, 2010

By Alon BenDavid

Nevatim AB, Israel

With the threat of a conflict with Iran looming, the Israeli air force has augmented its fleet of KC-707 (“Re’em”) aerial refueling aircraft with an eighth tanker, bolstering the strike capacity the country would have if it tries to undertake a raid on Teheran’s nuclear facilities.

The $23-million contract to reconfigure the aircraft was awarded to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in late 2008, as part of a strategic effort to rapidly enhance the country’s long-range strike capabilities.

“Many of the air force’s current missions require extended range and that means more fuel,” Lt. Col. Amir, commander of the IAF’s 120 “International” squadron told Aviation Week & Space Technology (for security reasons, Israel does not release last names of operational personnel). Refusing to discuss specific strike scenarios, he added: “I can gladly say that as an organization we have come to a point where we are ready to perform any mission in any range within a very short notice.”

Iran’s nuclear facilities and the conflict such a strike would likely unleash have become the IAF’s primary mission in recent years. As such, IAF fighter squadrons are constantly training in aerial refueling scenarios.

For the last two decades, Israel has been developing its strategic arm by procuring fighter aircraft with long-range strike capabilities, such as the F‑15I and F-16I. Last year, it also qualified its two squadrons of F-15A/B/C/D air-superiority aircraft to carry out ground-attack missions. However, notes Amir, “aerial refueling will allow any fighter, regardless of its range, to carry more munitions instead of fuel.”

Iran has a widely dispersed and deeply buried nuclear program. Whereas Israel was able to destroy Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor with a strike package of eight F‑16s with two bombs each (six F‑15As provided fighter support), attacks against Iran would require heavier bunker busters and more aircraft. Owing to the greater distance to Iran, mission duration would also be significantly longer. Such a scenario would stretch the limit of the fighters, placing a premium on the ability to refuel them en route.

In June 2008, Israel held a massive air maneuver above the Mediterranean in what was perceived as a “dress rehearsal” for an attack on Iran. Dozens of F-15s and F-16s participated in the exercise, conducted jointly with Greece, with several KC-707s providing the fuel.

Budgetary constraints, as well as the U.S. Air Force’s long delay in selecting its future aerial tanker, have forced Israel to rely on its existing Boeing 707 platforms, the youngest of which is 36 years old—the oldest just celebrated 50 years of flying. “We realized that we have to make-do with the current fleet for at least another decade,” says Amir.

The IAF launched a life-extension program for the aging fleet in 2004, with IAI as prime contractor replacing the legacy analog cockpit with new six multi-function displays and installing new communications equipment. In addition, the Israeli-designed refueling boom is replaced with a boom identical to the one used by the USAF in its KC-135s.

The first upgraded KC-707 was delivered to the IAF in November 2009, following a series of malfunctions in the new systems that delayed the project. The aircraft is currently being tested by the IAF at Nevatim AB; IAI personnel are attempting to fix the remaining flaws without returning the aircraft to IAI.

A second modernized KC-707, originally scheduled for delivery in February, will await the resolution of the problems before it will be delivered.

The IAF embraced aerial refueling relatively late, in the 1980s, when two KC-707s supported eight F-15s in the IAF’s longest strike ever, on Palestine Liberation Organization headquarters in Tunis in 1985, 2,000 km. (1,242 mi.) west of Israel. Ever since, the IAF developed a doctrine for using the KC‑707s not only in safe routes above the Mediterranean, like the route to Tunis, but also above hostile territory.

“Without going into specifics, the idea is to keep the tanker out of harm’s way, yet be able to conduct refueling wherever it is needed,” says Amir. Whether or not the aging, noisy KC-707s are outfitted with protection systems was not disclosed.

The Israeli KC-707s are equipped with a unique system in which additional fuel tanks with a capacity of 30,000 lb. are installed in the 707’s former passenger cabin. With an additional 160,000 lb. of fuel in its internal tanks, the KC-707 has almost 190,000 lb. of fuel available for other aircraft. The Israeli system enables a quick conversion of the aircraft from or to transport configuration. Another singular feature is an electro-optic system enabling the operator to control and guide the refueling boom while monitoring the action on a 3D screen.

The KC-707s are qualified to refuel all IAF F-15, F-16 and C-130E/H transport aircraft.