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2w ago

Thailand Becomes Launch Customer for Airbus A330 MRTT+ With Single-Plane Order

The neo-based multirole tanker gives Thailand longer range, dual refuelling options and medevac capacity as the air force upgrades its fleet.

Artists impression of a Royal Thai Air Force Airbus A330 MRTT+. (Image credit: Airbus Defence and Space SAU 2025)
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Overview

  • RTAF chief Punpakdee Pattanakul signed for one A330 MRTT+ with Airbus executive Jean-Brice Dumont, making Thailand the first customer for the variant.
  • Airbus will begin military conversion at Getafe, Spain in 2026, with final delivery to Thailand planned for 2029.
  • The aircraft will carry both hose-and-drogue pods and a refuelling boom, enabling support for Thailand’s Gripen and F-16 fighters, plus aeromedical evacuation and VVIP transport.
  • Airbus and Thai Aviation Industries signed an MoU to perform maintenance and support in-country to bolster sustainment and readiness.
  • The MRTT+ uses A330neo advances—Trent 7000 engines, aerodynamic refinements and higher MTOW—for up to about 8% lower fuel burn and maintains roughly 95% commonality with existing MRTTs, addressing the limits of Thailand’s ageing A310 tanker.