Airbus A330 MRTT

what is it?

The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refueling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 17 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 85 aircraft, of which 66 have been delivered. A version of the A330 MRTT, the EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45, was selected by the United States Air Force for its aerial tanker replacement program, but lost when the program was rebid.

🔎How to recognise it: jet engines · retractable tricycle gear · 60.3 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 913 km/htop speed
• range 14,800 kmwithout refuelling
• size 233 tmax take-off weight
• built 55made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 19 years ago, in 2007.
• 🏎️Top speed is 7.0× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 60.3 m: about 13 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 39 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 14,800 km: Amsterdam to New York (≈5,850 km) without stopping.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.4× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

2007-06-15

introduced

2011

status

still flying

number built

55

role

multi-role tanker/transport

engines

Pratt & Whitney PW4000 / Rolls-Royce Trent 700 / General Electric CF6

length

58.8 m

wingspan

60.3 m

height

17.4 m

max take-off weight

233 t

top speed

913 km/h

cruise speed

860 km/h

range

14,800 km

ceiling

12,600 m

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.