Article Posted on : - Jan 02, 2012

The A330 aircraft. A file photo

MADRID (BNS): Airbus Military has handed over the fourth A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force.

The aircraft, which will be inducted in the RAAF as KC-30A, is the first of the five A330 MRTTs converted at Airbus Military's headquarters in Spain.

Four other planes of the series have been converted by Qantas Defence Services in Brisbane, Australia.

Following the handover, the aircraft will remain in Spain for continued test work and will be transferred to RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland later in the year, Airbus Military announced on December 29.

The fifth and final aircraft will be delivered in the third quarter of 2012, it said.

The RAAF has already received three A330 MRTTs.

The aircraft, equipped with two under-wing hose-and-drogue refuelling pods and the Aerial Refuelling Boom System (ARBS), will be operated by 33 Squadron at RAAF Amberley. It can carry 270 passengers in a two-class configuration.

The A330 MRTT can conduct air-to-air refuelling missions without the need for any additional fuel tank. During a recent refuelling mission, the tanker successfully refuelled an RAAF F/A-18 fighter.

It can also be used as a pure transport aircraft able to carry up to 300 troops, or a payload of up to 45 tonnes and can also accommodate up to 130 stretchers for Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC).