Airbus Military’s A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) received Spanish military certification from the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Aerospacial (INTA) on October 5, clearing the way for delivery of the first MRTT, to be designated KC-30A in RAAF service, later this year.
The certification covers the military specific design and extensive modifications to the A330 airframe, and follows on from the civil Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the conversion received from European authorities earlier this year.
“This is an enormously gratifying moment for all,” Airbus Military Managing Director Domingo Ureña said in a statement. “It confirms the A330 MRTT has satisfactorily demonstrated its global military airworthiness and the maturity of all its systems, and its full readiness to enter service with its customers.”
The first two A330 MRTTs conducted more than 280 flights as part of the certification process, in addition to another 170 by Airbus’s A310 demonstrator aircraft
The RAAF’s Amberley-based 33SQN is scheduled to take delivery of two KC-30As by the end of the year.
