First Spanish A330MRTT enters service
April 11, 2025
This is the first of three multi-mission tanker and transport aircraft acquired by the Spanish Ministry of Defence in November 2021. Unusually, the three A330-200 aircraft were acquired from Iberia at a cost of €148 million, before being converted into military tanker transport aircraft at Getafe, Spain, for a further €675 million.
The second and third Airbus A330 MRTTs for Spain are now undergoing conversion at Getafe, near Madrid. These unconverted A330s had previously been used by the 45th Wing of the Spanish Air and Space Force to transport military personnel and equipment, for example, in the Pacific Skies exercise in 2024, or for the evacuation of Spanish nationals from Niger and Sudan.
The first 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 centre is based.
Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Air Power at Airbus Defence and Space said that: “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. 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.”
Airbus claims that the A330 MRTT is the only new-generation tanker and strategic airlifter currently available and operational. It is certainly the most capable, with a large basic fuel capacity of 111 tonnes, an endurance of more than 18 flying hours and a range of 16,000 kilometres. This allows the aircraft to perform aerial refuelling missions without the need for additional fuel tanks. The A330 MRTT can offload up to 64 tonnes of fuel to receiver aircraft at a range of more than 500 nm during a five-hour mission.
The Airbus A330 MRTT for the Spanish Air and Space Force is equipped with a state-of-the-art hose-and-drogue refuelling system, with two underwing Hose Drogue Units (HDUs). No fuselage HDU is fitted, but the aircraft are wired and equipped for the later retrofit of an aerial refuelling boom, with a large fairing on the fuselage covering the fittings.
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, the Spanish aircraft can be configured with a dedicated Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) kit, allowing the installation of different stretcher modules and intensive-care stations.
