Airbus military tanker passes civilian noise restrictions

One of the main reasons for the success of the Airbus A330 MRTT to date is that it can operate in civil airports, for example during international human aid operations. However, the aerodynamic modifications from the basic A330 to the A330 MRTT aircraft required new noise certification.

Living up to the exacting standards of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) called for precise measurement equipment, and for Ernesto Ibáñez, an aeroacoustic engineer at INTA, Brüel & Kjær was the obvious choice.

“One of the reasons to choose Brüel & Kjær for this complex test is the extreme flexibility of the PULSE™ system. In addition to an Acoustic Calibrator Type 4231, we also borrowed additional portable PULSE units from Brüel & Kjær to generate electrical noise signals for in situ verifications,” he said.

Immediately after the flight pass, the acoustic data were validated together with meteorological and trajectory data in only four minutes. Time was critical with an expensive aircraft in the air, so it was vital that measurements were reliably recorded instantly for later analysis and reporting.

According to Ernesto Ibáñez, “We knew it was going to be a long and complex process requiring a lot of initial tests and support. We have been working with Brüel & Kjær Spain long enough to know that they not only sell great quality instruments, but also provide first-class local support
and fully understand our needs.

Pascual Rodriguez from Airbus’ parent company EADS added that “Brüel & Kjær’s assistance during measurements saved our skin at very critical moments, for example, when EASA authorities required us to perform some complex instrumentation verifications.”