The Brazilian Air Force will send the two aircraft to Airbus in Spain, for conversion to the Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) configuration, which will include cabin floor reinforcement for bulky loads. Details of timelines and elements to be included in the conversion, such as the EW suite and other military equipment and systems, have not yet been released. In an $80.5 million agreement, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has acquired two Airbus 320-200, previously owned by Azul Linhas Aéreas, to be assigned to strategic transport and in-flight refuelling (IFR) missions. Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A is a Brazilian carrier based in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo.
On the A320 MRTT’s main deck, the aircraft’s widebody cross-section can be configured for a variety of roles, from the transportation of troops and personnel with capacities in a two-class configuration, to aeromedical evacuation – accommodating two intensive care units, stretchers, along with seating for medical staff and passengers. Details of timelines and elements to be included in the conversion, such as the EW suite and other military equipment and systems, have not yet been released.
The Airbus A320 family are narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the family was followed by the longer A321 (first delivered in January 1994), the shorter A319 (April 1996), and the even shorter A318 (July 2003). Final assembly takes place in Toulouse in France; Hamburg in Germany; Tianjin in China since 2009; and in Mobile, Alabama in the United States since April 2016.
The companies are taking a cooperative approach, with the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT) at its heart, to examine a broad spectrum of opportunities. These may range from ways to support critical near-term air-refuelling needs, such as a fee-for-service structure to conceptualizing the tanker of the future. Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies.
