Germany and Norway have officially signed up to an effort led by European NATO members to jointly acquire and operate a pool of up to 11 Airbus Defence & Space A330 multi-role tanker transports (MRTT).
Initiated by the European Defence Agency in 2012, the programme initially counted Luxembourg and the Netherlands as its sole members.
An initial two A330 MRTTs have already been ordered, with five more, plus four options, due to be added to the backlog based on the participation of Germany and Norway in the pooling arrangement, says Airbus.
Airbus Defence & Space
First deliveries will take place in 2020 from Airbus's tanker conversion line in Getafe near Madrid.
Pan-European procurement body OCCAR is managing the acquisition.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
