Airbus Readies Upgraded MRTT As U.S. Mulls Tanker Recapitalization

Airbus is getting ready to launch a major upgrade of its A330 widebody-based military refueling aircraft that would give it more competitive firepower for a potential new round in the U.S. tanker war.

The European aircraft manufacturer could give the go-ahead before year-end to the A330neo-based Multirole Tanker Transport Plus (MRTT+) to replace its current A330-based tanker. The new version would be about 8% more fuel-efficient, extending its edge against its main competitor, Boeing’s KC-46A, Airbus officials say.

• USAF secretary says “no final decision” on KC-135 replacement effort
• New Airbus tanker could provide 2,160 nm range

Airbus’ MRTT+ could arrive just as the U.S. Air Force is looking for a new round of tankers to replace much of its KC-135 fleet, although the ultimate shape of that program remains uncertain. The service in March 2023 rolled out its KC-135 recapitalization project, which aims to field an upgraded tanker following the end in 2029 of the ongoing KC-46 program of record. The project involves purchasing 183 Boeing tankers, with options for five more, ahead of the planned arrival of the Next-Generation Aerial-Refueling System in 2040.

But Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow on July 22, said there’s “no final decision” on what the KC-135 recapitalization will look like and that the service will soon finalize a study on a future clean-sheet tanker. Funding remains an open question. The service earlier had said it expected to set an acquisition strategy this summer.

Kendall’s comments come as the Air Force finalizes its fiscal 2026 budget request, which will likely determine the plan’s future. Kendall and others have signaled that the budget will be tight for modernization, potentially putting the tanker plan in limbo.

Boeing and Airbus have submitted bids for the KC-135 replacement program. Airbus had teamed with Lockheed Martin for the effort, but the U.S. company pulled out last fall after the Air Force presented its requirements.

Supplying the service with tankers has been a particularly brutal battle between the two aircraft behemoths. Airbus initially won an Air Force tanker competition in 2008, teaming with Northrop Grumman. Boeing protested the decision, which was upheld by the Government Accountability Office, and then won the recompetition with the KC-46A, although it has since lost billions of dollars on the program.

Airbus expects demand for about 161 tankers through 2033, with about 42% in the U.S. The Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Europe are the next-largest markets, says Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus Defense and Space. “There is a significant market ahead of us.”

Airbus Defense and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn says the MRTT+ should be particularly attractive to the U.S. Talks continue, but he notes: “There is currently no clear path as to whether or not there will be a competition. We stand available, but we also go after the rest of the world market.”

The company would not reveal its bid strategy, but Dumont says: “It is obvious you go to the U.S. with U.S. partners.”

Airbus expects to deliver its first A330neo-based aerial-refueling tankers before the end of the decade. The company is already undertaking risk reduction efforts to turn the A330-800, which features Trent 7000 engines and an enhanced wing, into a tanker. This phase aims to ensure that changes, such as to the wing and engine, do not upset the system’s functionality. That effort has provided “a high level of confidence” that the A330neo could be used as a tanker, says Maria Angeles Marti, head of tanker, transport and mission programs at Airbus Defense and Space.

Airbus says the MRTT+ will have greater range, but customers can also use the efficiency gains to increase refueling capacity. Boeing has countered that the KC-46’s smaller size makes it a better fit for many military bases.

Airbus is also working on other tanker upgrades, with an eye to improving the MRTTs already delivered. One key enhancement the company is introducing is automated refueling using the boom. Airbus has validated daytime operations with the Republic of Singapore Air Force. In recent weeks, Airbus had conducted tests involving more than 500 refueling contacts at night that should enable it to get certification for nighttime operations early next year, Marti says.

Airbus is exploring further automation that would enable the tanker to control the aircraft, crewed or uncrewed, during refueling. The company is also studying the ability to turn the tanker into a battlefield communications node and enhance its self-protection suite to improve survivability.

“We have customers interested, and we have customers in a hurry,” Dumont says of the MRTT+ upgrade program. The new tanker will be launched with a customer, he says, which would kick off a roughly four-year development program.