Ejército del Aire y del Espacio accepts first Airbus A330 MRTT.

 

First Airbus A330 MRTT converted from an Iberia Airlines A330-200 enters into service with the Spanish Airforce.

 

 

Article: Jaryd Stock

Images & Graphics: Airbus Defence

 

 

 

 

 

The first Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) for the Spanish Air and Space Force has entered into service with the 45th Wing. This is the first of three multi-mission tanker and transport aircraft acquired and signed for by the Spanish Ministry of Defence in November 2021.

The aircraft, which will operate from Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base, Madrid (Spain), has been delivered from the Airbus facilities in Getafe (Madrid), where the A330 MRTT aircraft conversion center is based.

All three of the aircraft are acquired from the state airline Iberia, and all three will be converted into military tanker transport at Airbus’ Spanish headquarters in Getafe, Spain.

 

 

“With the entry into service of this first A330 MRTT, the Spanish Air and Space Force now has the world’s best tanker aircraft in its fleet,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Air Power at Airbus Defence and Space. 

“The MRTT will not only provide interoperability with allied nations and strategic autonomy, but will also significantly increase projection, aerial evacuation and in-flight refuelling capabilities.”

The Airbus A330 MRTT for Air and Space is equipped with a state-of-the-art, hose-and-basket refuelling system and has an endurance of more than 18 flight hours and a range of 16,000 kilometers. All are equipped with a state-of-the-art Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) kit much like the NATO MMU KC-30’s.

Trial flights conducted by Airbus of the A330 MRTT’s began in the fourth quarter of 2024 with hose and rouge dry and wet testing with receiver aircraft conducted in November of the same year.

The acquisition of three A330’s from Iberia and their conversion to MRTT work to be carried out which was between 2021 and 2025, will cost $675 million euros, of which $148 million euros are allocated on the 2021 budget.

The first aircraft that has undergone conversion is a 6-year-old A330-200, with registration EC-MIL, which Iberia used mainly to cover routes to Latin America. After its retirement from Iberia, the aircraft was sent to Chateauroux (France) where it received an exterior paint change. 

A330 MRTT is the only new-generation tanker and strategic airlifter currently available and operational. 

Its large basic fuel load capacity of 111 tonnes allows it, among other functions, to successfully perform aerial refuelling missions without the need for additional fuel tanks.

 

Thanks to its wide-body fuselage, the A330 MRTT can be used as a transport aircraft capable of carrying up to 300 troops or a payload of up to 45 tonnes (99,000 lb). In addition, this aircraft can be configured with a dedicated Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) kit, allowing the installation of different stretcher modules and intensive-care stations.

The second and third Airbus A330 MRTTs for Spain are currently undergoing conversion at Getafe, Madrid. The 45th Wing of the Spanish Air and Space Force has so far used these unconverted A330s to transport military personnel and equipment, for example, in the Pacific Skies exercise in 2024 or the evacuation of Spanish nationals from Niger or Sudan.