This article is published in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report part of Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), and is complimentary through May 27, 2026. For information on becoming an AWIN Member to access more content like this, click here.
LONDON—Italy looks set to become the next customer for Airbus’ A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport, tender documents have revealed.
The country aims to spend €1.39 billion ($1.61 billion) on procuring six A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTT) as well as 10 years of logistical support for the platform, per the European Union’s Tenders Electronic Daily.
According to the documents, the MRTT was selected in December, and a contract was awarded on April 16. Neither the Italian Defense Ministry nor Airbus has announced the order.
Italian news website Ares Difesa was the first to report on the published notice.
The Italian Air Force currently operates Boeing KC-767s. Though the service had sought to bolster the fleet by acquiring the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, Rome suspended those plans in 2024 and launched a competition instead.
It is unclear whether the MRTTs will replace the KC-767s, but the move will align Italy with other European air forces—including France, Spain and the UK—as well as NATO, which provides aerial refueling for Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. If the MRTTs replace the KC-767s, then the order for six represents 50% growth in Italy’s tanker force.
Aviation Week has learned that the order will not be for the new MRTT+, which is derived from the A330-800neo, but for the standard A330-200-based MRTT, using secondhand airframes. The source of these airframes has yet to be confirmed.
The KC-767 had a difficult start with the Italian Air Force. While Italy signed contracts in 2002 to be the aircraft’s launch customer, the country’s first KC-767 did not enter service until 2011 due to technical problems encountered during development and testing.
Related Content
