CESA delivered the first shock absorber and the first hook for the A330 MRTT to Airbus Defence and Space in late 2015.
Both units had previously been manufactured by a third company from outside the European Union under CESA specifications.
In 2014 it was decided to nationalise both design and production and, after 18 months of industrialisation, CESA acquired the technical and manufacturing capability to continue delivering fully interchangeable standard units.
This system consists of two units with one unit on each refuelling boom:
- The shock absorber installed on the refuelling boom allows the impact of the boom itself to be dampened against the structure of the aircraft during the lifting stage.
- The second unit (the hook) is installed on the aircraft tail and allows the Tail Boom to be blocked in a fully retracted position.
These two new units, together with the electromechanical actuators for lifting, extraction/retraction and the load sensing system, enable CESA to bolster its participation in the Airbus Defence and Space tanker programme.
