Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
One of the 8 aircraft remains available in a medical transport configuration so that there is no delay in converting the aircraft.
mxaxai wrote:The contract for three additional A330MRTT for the Spanish air force was signed a few days ago. These are conversions from used aircraft. The intent to acquire these aircraft was announced earlier this year already. The press release is a bit confusing but it appears that these will be delivered (as MRTT, post-conversion) between 2023 and 2025.
https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/pres ... -a330-mrtt
audidudi wrote:The following frames are either in production or in FAL and are all designated as A330-243MRTTs…(AFAIK there is no current thread for new build A330-200 frames):
MSN 1998 French Air Force A332 F-WWCH/EC-339/F-UJCM-047
MSN 2007 French Air Force A332 F-WWCL/EC-341/F-UJCN-048
MSN 2008 French Air Force A332 F-WWCQ/EC-336/F-UJCO-049
MSN 2011 French Air Force A332 F-WWYN/EC-337/F-UJCP-0xx
MSN 2012 French Air Force A332 F-WWYS/EC-342/FUJCQ-0xx
MSN 2015 French Air Force A332 F-WWCI/EC338/F-UJCR-0xx
MSN 2022 French Air Force A332 F-WWKD/ECxxx/F-UJCU-0xx
MSN 2023 UAE Air Force A332 F-WWCH/1303
MSN 2036 UAE Air Force A332 F-xxxx/1304
MSN 2043 NATO/OTAN A332 F-xxxx/EC-xxx
audidudi wrote:I have listed the A330-243MRTTs so that anyone tracking the MSN#s can now see why there are missing gaps in the A338/A339 MSNs.
Everything can also be tracked here:
https://www.abcdlist.nl/a340f/a340f.html
JerseyFlyer wrote:I had sort of assumed that the used frames would be converted to MRTTs but it seems they need 3 vanilla transport frames alongside their MRTTs
The A330neo will soon get some of the same upgrades the A350 has got as part of the New Production Standard. This includes optimized low-speed performance, enhanced take-off configurations, and quicker gear retraction. These are software upgrades only that have proven themselves on the newest A350s. Incremental developments will be coming, with Airbus planning a Multirole Tanker version of the A330-800 in 2026 as a replacement for the existing A330-200.
JerseyFlyer wrote:From previous discussion I recall that the shape and size of the engines had a bearing on the aerodynamics of the boom, so work required there also. I am surprised at this news unless there is to be a US order to justify the investment spend.
JerseyFlyer wrote:
JerseyFlyer wrote:More specificity about replacing the current model with one derived from the A330neo
"Airbus has begun de-risking work to develop a second-generation Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) version based on its A330neo.
The efforts underway are geared to paving the way for the OEM to transition from the existing A330-200ceo model to the reengined, re-winged A330neo, potentially by the turn of the decade.
https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/ ... ed-a330neo
LaunchDetected wrote:JerseyFlyer wrote:More specificity about replacing the current model with one derived from the A330neo
"Airbus has begun de-risking work to develop a second-generation Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) version based on its A330neo.
The efforts underway are geared to paving the way for the OEM to transition from the existing A330-200ceo model to the reengined, re-winged A330neo, potentially by the turn of the decade.
https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/ ... ed-a330neo
The technical details are interesting. It seems almost more interesting to just re-engine the A330-200 without using the new wing.
JetBuddy wrote:Does the A330-200 have the A340 derived wing originally made for 4 engines?
ID350 wrote:c/n 2060 is for Royal Saudi Airforce. When dit they ordered them and how much? I was thinking that Germany blocked any purchases of MRTT's for Saudi Arabian?
