Photos: Airbus Military A330 tanker completes first flight for Saudi Arabia-Via

Saudi Arabia's first A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) has made its first flight in an amended form, touching down on 15 March at the end of a 4 h 15 min check.

Run of Airbus military's Getafe site near Madrid, the debut for the company's planned delivery date of the Saudi air force the first of six aircraft by the end of this year."The crew reported that the plane, the systems and two General Electric CF6 engines performed fully satisfactory," says Airbus Military. The company has previously flown custom A330 MRTT aircraft for Australia (three) and the United Kingdom (two), and is also changing the first unit of the United Arab Emirates.

Now equipped with Underwing hose and drogue refuelling pods and an advanced system for refuelling boom, the aircraft was modified by Iberia maintenance engineers and technicians. The conversion work amounted to approximately 140 000 man hours over a period of 16 months, says the company.

"It's a great satisfaction that we have successfully completed a project that is definitely the biggest challenge we've ever had in the transformation of the aircraft," says José Luis Ruiz de Castañeda, Iberia of executive vice President maintenance and engineering.

 Airbus Military says Saudi Arabia's new oil tanker shall enter into a period of final certification and qualification activities for the delivery. Second plane of the nation is already in conversion, while the work on a third start in mid-2011, it is added.Meanwhile, the company says that the first two of the Royal Australian Air Force of five delayed GE-compression ignition tankers are "technically complete and ready for delivery to the RAAF in Getafe, pending the conclusion of contractual discussion".The EADS unit had previously planned to release the couple late in 2010, but a setback earlier this year, when a Canberra aircraft limited damage during a nighttime training incident involving a Portuguese air force Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter ago.Part of the tanker the refuelling boom separated from the aircraft and fell into the sea after a collision, while the A330 and F-16 both returned safely back to their operational bases.