FIA 2024: Airbus launches new iteration of the A330 MRTT

At the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) on 23 July 2024 Airbus launched a new version of its A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) based on the airframe of the A330-800 commercial airliner.

An Airbus source told ESD on 24 July that the new aircraft, to be known as the MRTT+, “is the next major evolution of one of our most successful products”.

The current baseline for MRTT is the A330-200 airframe, but the move to the A330-800 airframe, also known as the A330neo, “will bring new benefits”, the Airbus source stated.

The main changes in the new platform relate to the wings and engine, while the passenger cabin is also improved. Curved and swept back wingtips have been introduced onto the A330-800, which is powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 high-bypass turbofans in place of the current A330 MRTT’s Rolls-Royce Trent 772B, General Electric CF6-80E1A4 or Pratt & Whitney PW 4170 turbofans.

The changes, according to Airbus, will result in the aircraft using up to 8% less fuel, which translates to “even more range or more fuel offload compared with other tanker aircraft”, the Airbus source stated.

The A330neo “has the same fuselage and we will keep the same military systems in order to ensure a seamless transition”, said the Airbus source, adding, “This year we are already in a de-risking programme where we are analysing the differences in order to ensure a fast and easy transition.”

All new customers for the Airbus MRTT are expected to benefit from the new baseline airframe.