Airbus has signed two contracts of € 1.2 billion for capability enhancement and in-service support of the French A330 MRTT fleet.
Airbus Defence and Space has signed two contracts worth € 1.2 billion in total with Direction de la Maintenance Aéronautique (DMAé) and Direction générale de l’armement of France (DGA) for CE and the In-Service Support of the French MRTTs fleet. The French MRTTs’ capabilities will be expanded under the Standard 2 contract, with a primary focus on self-protection and connectivity as pillars. The MELISSA satcom station will be installed on the aircraft with the goal of staying connected in all situations, including traffic jams and severe weather.
The French A330 MRTT will become a high bandwidth communication relay node with command and control capabilities thanks to these new capabilities, which will also pave the way for the A330 MRTT’s eventual integration into the FCAS’s air combat cloud.
The A330 MRTT No. 15 will be the first aircraft to receive the Standard 2, and its conversion will take place at Airbus’ military facilities in Getafe. In 2028, it is anticipated to be qualified for the French Air Force. The remaining 14 French A330 MRTTs will then undergo an upgrade to Standard 2 at the Istres Air Base in France.
Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space said, “We thank the French Ministry of Armed Forces for its continued trust in the Airbus A330 MRTT and we are honoured to contribute to one of France’s most strategic capabilities through this programme. With this new capability of the aircraft, we are preparing the future by transforming the MRTT into an in-flight communications node, as the first building block of the Multi Role Tanker Transport of tomorrow, embedded in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).”
The second contract is for ten years of in-service support for the Phénix fleet, with an additional two years of optional service, at the 31st Strategic Air Refuelling and Transport Wing’s home base at Istres Air Base in southern France. In order to guarantee the aircraft’s operational availability, Airbus, as the prime contractor, will work with its preferred partners in France to handle fleet modernization, maintenance, logistics, and technical support. To support these initiatives, the local Airbus team in France will be doubled.
The support services implemented under these contracts ensure a degree of responsiveness, availability, and resilience that aligns with the demands of the Strategic Air Forces and the French Air Force. Support for aircraft stationed outside of France is part of this.
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With over 18,000 flight hours under its belt, the French Air and Space Force presently flies 12 A330 MRTTs under the moniker “Phénix.” With 15 A330 MRTT ordered, France is the largest A330 MRTT customer. The A330 MRTT has ninety percent of the market outside of the United States with 79 orders from fifteen countries. and over 270,000 hours of flight time.
