Airbus Defence delivered to the French Air and Space Force the 3rd and last A330-200 acquired under the aerospace support plan.
.@Airbus a livré à @Armee_de_lair le 3e #A330 acquis dans le cadre du plan de soutien à l’aéronautique.
Cet avion, destiné au transport stratégique de personnels et de fret, sera converti à terme en ravitailleur #A330MRTT, démontrant une fois de plus la flexibilité de l'#A330. pic.twitter.com/9cDY0fIMQx— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) November 18, 2022
This aircraft is part of the batch of three units ordered on August 25, 2020 as part of the aeronautical support plan launched in response to the economic and health crisis linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the previous two, their delivery to Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport is scheduled for the near future by a crew from the Estérel squadron of the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (AAE).
The acquisition of these three A330-200s by the Ministry of the Armed Forces has enabled the Air and Space Force to accelerate the decommissioning of its aging A340 and A310 aircraft, used for logistical personnel and cargo transport missions. Eventually, the A330-200s will be converted to Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), to complete the renewal of the tanker fleet, set at 15 aircraft, as envisaged by the Military Programming Act (LPM) 2019-2025.
See also: The White A330 MRTT: A subtle message from Airbus to the region
The aeronautical support plan was the result of an agreement between the French and Spanish governments and Airbus to support their respective aeronautical industries during the Covid-19 crisis. France brought forward the purchase of the 3 A330s to replace two A310s and two A340s. The early retirement of these aircraft will lower costs and simplify logistics.
The A330 MRTT Phenix program is in the start-up phase. Its objective is to replace several fleets of older aircraft with a single model, in the field of in-flight refueling, as well as strategic transport and medical evacuation. The 8th MRTT was delivered by the DGA to the French Air Force on October 21, 2022.
