The United Arab Emirates Air Force & Air Defence has formally ordered two additional Airbus A330 Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft increasing the country’s MRTT fleet up to five aircraft. With deliveries starting in 2024, this agreement will also cover the upgrade of the country’s current A330MRTT fleet to the latest enhanced version.
‘Since its entry into service in 2013 with the UAE Air Force, the A330 MRTT has delivered much more than initially expected, meeting our customer’s operational needs. This repeat order, added to the growing MRTT customer base, confirms the suitability of our platform as the world’s tanker of reference’, said Bernhard Brenner, Executive Vice President Marketing and Sales at Airbus Defence and Space.
The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is an aerial refuelling tanker aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 12 nations have placed firm orders for approximately 60 aircraft, of which 46 had been delivered by 30 November 2020. A version of the A330 MRTT, the EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45, was proposed to the United States Air Force for its aerial tanker replacement program and selected, but the program was cancelled.
The A330 MRTT combines the advanced technology of a new generation tanker with the operational experience established over more than 250,000 in-service flight hours. The A330 MRTT is interoperable with receivers worldwide and delivers true multi-role capabilities, proven most recently during the recent MEDEVAC and strategic transport missions during the COVID-19 crisis.
