Product Details

The aircraft giant Airbus created the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) from a basic A330-200 civilian airliner. Indeed, aircraft are taken from the production line in Toulouse and converted by Airbus in Spain with their refueling systems and military specifications. As its name suggests, the A330 MRTT can be used for both aerial refueling and cargo transport tasks. The 58.8m-long MRTT can carry up to 111,000kg of fuel, an additional 45,000kg of cargo, or 380 passengers, while cruising at speeds of 860km/h. Five aircraft have been ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), 14 will be leased by the Royal Air Force (RAF), three were purchased by the United Arab Emirates Air Force, and six by the Royal Saudi Air Force. With certification gained in October 2010, the RAAF was the first recipient of the A330 MRTT. Airbus also entered this design as the KC-45 in the US Air Force's (USAF) requirement for replacement air-to-air refueling aircraft. It is competing against the Boeing KC-767, but after the contract became embroiled in political controversy it had to be retendered.