Airbus Defence & Space will increase its annual capacity to deliver the multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) version of its A330 widebody, to meet strong demand for its new Neo-based model.
“The MRTT+ programme is in full motion,” says Jean-Brice Dumont, the company’s head of air power. “The first aircraft is in production, and the ambition is to deliver by the end of 2028,” he adds.
“With the signals we are getting from the customers, we are studying an increase in the production rate as we turn to the MRTT+,” he says. Its conversion capacity for the current A330-200-derived baseline version is between four and five annually.
“The demand signal on the tankers is very high,” Dumont says. “Many countries are realising that they have a need for fast deployment,” he notes, referring to increased interest in the Agile Combat Employment concept. “They want to deploy fast and far, and for that you need tankers.”
While declining to identify a launch customer for the new version, which is based on the A330-800 airframe, he states: “We are getting close.”
However, he confirms that “There is a foreseeable increase in the pool” of aircraft operated by the NATO Multinational MRTT Fleet grouping of six alliance nations, which has already committed to 10 aircraft. In early June, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden signalled their intention to also join the mechanism.
Airbus also sees interest from potential new operators, and anticipates repeat business via “existing customers beefing up their fleets”, he said at the Paris air show on 17 June.
As part of its planning process for increased output of the MRTT+, Dumont says the company will consider “whether the hangars we have can accommodate it or we need to build new hangars, or we need to go to other places than Getafe, where we are today.”
Airbus announced the launch of its A330 MRTT+ programme in July 2024, with the enhanced product to retain its predecessor’s maximum fuel capacity of 111t.
