Air Force Aerial Refueling Aircraft Completes First Maintenance at Korean Air and Is Delivered

KC-330 'Cygnus' Released After Overhaul

Korean Air has completed the first heavy maintenance of South Korea's Air Force multi-purpose aerial refueling aircraft.

On the morning of the 22nd, Korean Air Aerospace Division held the inaugural heavy maintenance delivery ceremony for the 'KC-330' at the Korean Air Tech Center in Gangseo-gu, Busan.

The KC-330 is a multi-purpose aerial refueling transport aircraft operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force. It is modified based on the civilian Airbus A330-200 and is also called 'Cygnus,' which means the constellation Cygnus (Swan). The Air Force introduced the first KC-330 in 2018 and the 2nd to 4th units in 2019, currently operating a total of four aircraft.

The KC-330 serves as a "gas station in the sky," refueling other fighter jets in mid-air. While the fighter jets fly at high speeds, a 10 cm diameter refueling hose and nozzle are precisely connected to perform aerial refueling. Besides aerial refueling, it is also deployed as a transport aircraft carrying personnel and supplies for major military missions. It successfully rescued 28 Korean nationals stranded in Sudan during the civil war in the "Promise Operation" and carried out the mission to repatriate the remains of General Hong Beom-do.

Heavy maintenance involves inspecting the aircraft's structural components, parts, and wiring. It is a method of completely disassembling individual parts for inspection and repair. For military aircraft, about 600 types of inspections are also conducted simultaneously. Korean Air won the KC-330 heavy maintenance project from the Air Force at the end of last year.

A Korean Air official said, "By combining the maintenance technology of the Airbus A330 passenger aircraft with experience in military aircraft heavy maintenance, we have successfully completed the first heavy maintenance delivery of the KC-330 aerial refueling aircraft," adding, "We plan to expand military aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business and performance improvement projects with Korean Air's comprehensive heavy maintenance capabilities and specialized military support expertise."

On the morning of the 22nd, officials attending the KC-330 major maintenance initial delivery ceremony at the Korean Air Tech Center in Gangseo-gu, Busan, are taking a commemorative photo. (Photo by Korean Air)