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 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.

“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.

The 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.

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