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The Royal Saudi Air Force currently operates six A330 MRTTs.
Saudi Arabia is set to become the largest operator of Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker-Transport (MRTT) aircraft outside Europe after Riyadh signed a top-up order that will see its fleet grow to 10.
The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) will take an additional four MRTTs, adding to the six aircraft already in operation, Airbus Defense and Space announced July 10.
Signing of the long-awaited contract builds off an industrial participation pact agreed upon by Airbus and Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries. Under that agreement, Airbus will transfer technology and know-how to a Saudi-based entity called SAMI Airbus Aircraft Maintenance Services (SAAMS), a joint venture formed by Airbus and Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) in late 2021 to focus on services, maintenance, repair and overhaul. SAMI owns 51% of the joint venture, with Airbus holding the other 49%.
SAAMS will be the “main vehicle for industrial localization,” Airbus states.
The MRTT program takes standard green Airbus A330-200s and takes them through a conversion process at Airbus Defense and Space’s facilities in Getafe near Madrid. The first of the new Saudi aircraft will enter this process in 2026 and enter RSAF service in 2027.
"This new order demonstrates the high level of customer satisfaction with the A330 MRTT,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, Airbus Defense and Space's head of airpower.
"This is the third contract signed by Saudi Arabia for the A330 MRTT, making the RSAF one of the largest MRTT operators in the world,” Dumont added.
Saudi Arabia originally ordered three MRTTs in 2008 and added three more to its orderbook in 2009.
Growth in the Saudi fleet aligns with the RSAF’s increasingly expeditionary nature, as it sends more aircraft to international exercises and supports overseas operations. This year alone, Saudi combat aircraft have deployed to Greece, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates, and in the coming days a sizeable contingent of RSAF aircraft will participate in the Royal International Air Tattoo, including an A330 MRTT and a Boeing F-15SA Advanced Eagle.
As with Saudi Arabia’s existing fleet, the new aircraft will equip with hose-drogue units and boom refueling systems to refuel both U.S. and European fighter types in its inventory.
The Saudi aircraft may also be among the last MRTTs based on the A330-200, with the OEM planning to transition to an A330neo airframe, branded MRTT+ in the coming years, operators will still have the option to convert second-hand A330s to MRTT standard as Australia, Canada, France and Spain have elected to do.
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