Article Posted on : - Jun 02, 2011

Airbus Military A330 MRTT transport aircraft.

SYDNEY (BNS): The Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has received the first Airbus Military A330 MRTT new generation tanker/transport on Wednesday.

The aircraft was delivered at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base Amberley (Queensland, Australia) in a ceremony attended by Military representatives.

“This is a very major and long awaited milestone for the A330 MRTT programme,” Airbus Military CEO Domingo Ureña said.

The aircraft, which had left Madrid on 27th May, was ferried to Amberley where it arrived on Monday 30th May. On its ferry flight, the A330 MRTT was flown by Airbus Military and RAAF crews, and transited via McCarran (Nevada) and Hickam (Hawaii) in the USA.

The aircraft is the second converted by Qantas Defence Services in Brisbane. It will be joined by the second aircraft for the RAAF in June, and two further aircraft later in the year.

The fifth and final aircraft ordered by the RAAF, which arrived in Brisbane for conversion a few days ago, will be delivered in 2012.