Airbus exploring development of future tanker based on A330neo

French aircraft manufacturer Airbus has taken the first steps in the potential development of a new Multi Role Tanker Transport Aircraft (MRTT) based on the A330neo commercial airliner.

As reported by Breaking Defense, the company hopes the tanker could be market-ready by the end of the decade.

“We are thinking about the [A330]neo, it’s a very natural evolution of our [tanker] solution”, Maria Angeles Marti, Head of Tanker and Derivatives at Airbus Defence and Space, told reporters, adding, that “we are going to go from the A330-200 to the evolved A330neo”.

The first steps include derisking studies for the potential new MRTT.

According to Angeles Marti’s remarks, she said that the new A330neo Trent 700 engines will provide greater fuel efficiency for operators and include different wings to the A330-200. She described the wings as a “little bit more flexible” than the older A330.

The new neo-wing design delivers lower induced drag and higher lift “at all speeds and flight phases,” which in turn generates aerodynamic efficiency, lower fuel burn and increased range, according to Airbus company literature. The wingspan of the aircraft is an extraordinary 64 meters, just as wide as the fuselage is long.