Documents show that Italy has signed in April 2026 a deal to acquire six A330 MRTT tankers which will replace the current fleet of four KC-767s.
Italy has reportedly selected new tanker aircraft for the Italian Air Force which will replace the current fleet of KC-767 tankers. According to the European Union’s Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) portal, the Ministry of Defense signed a deal with Airbus for the procurement of six A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) aircraft.
The contract, signed on Apr. 16, 2026, is valued €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) and is expected to last 10 years. According to the documents, the selection of the A330 arrived in December 2025, and it appears it was the only bid in the competition.
In a recent document released by the Italian MOD which talks about the 3 year program of purchases of goods and services, its been revealed that there’s an interest by the Italian Air Force in acquiring x6 A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport made by Airbus. pic.twitter.com/sSRqKk7d3j
— A-129 Mangusta (@NichoConcu) May 19, 2026
A document by the Italian Directorate for Air Armaments and Airworthiness (ARMAEREO), dated April 2026, lists the replacement program as a top priority. However, the document also mentions that the contract was signed on Feb. 23, 2026, which differs from the information on the TED portal.
From yesterday: #Italy has signed a contract dated from February 23, 2026 for 6 A-330 tanker fleet valued at an estimated 1.4 billion euros. pic.twitter.com/NyiqoNv8hb
— Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo (@elisabethmalom1) May 19, 2026
The value of the contract appears to be the same on both documents, although ARMAEREO’s document mentions a duration of 96 months, or eight years. Neither document mentions whether Italy will procure the standard MRTT configuration or the upgraded MRTT+.
A long wait
This is not the first time that Italy attempts to replace the KC-767. A first attempt was made in 2022, when the MoD planned to acquire two new KC-46 tankers and upgrade the current four KC-767A tankers to the same standard.
The plan was later found not feasible by a special commission whose role was to evaluate the project. It was thus decided the procure six new KC-46 Pegasus tankers, in what was defined as the only viable solution.
However, in June 2024, the program was halted due to “changed and unforeseen needs,” said the Italian Air Force. The service did not provide further details and it was not clear if the cancellation was strictly related to the tanker itself or to other priorities.
A couple of weeks later, the Italian Air Force started once again the procedure for the acquisition of a new replacement for the KC-767A tanker. In its communication to the MoD, the service mentioned that the lack of a replacement could compromise its operational capabilities.
Similarly to the one previously suspended, the new program has been named “Renewal, strengthening and Integrated Logistic Support of the Italian Air Force Heavy Multirole Tanker fleet.” This time the program was worth over € 1.41 billion instead of the previous € 1.2 billion.
Sources with knowledge on the matter said that other vendors/options were also being considered. Once again, the service was looking for six aircraft, confirming the intention to increase the size of the fleet.
This tender however concluded in April 2025 with no bidders. This led to the launch of a new tender restricted to the European Economic Area which, as mentioned earlier, only resulted in a bid from Airbus.
Italy and the A330 MRTT
Should the previous program have gone ahead, Italy would have been the only European operator of the KC-46, as France, Spain and the UK acquired the A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport), while Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands share the A330 MRTT tankers of the NATO MMF (Multinational MRTT Fleet). Considering the increased cooperation in the defense sector in Europe today, it might make sense if also Italy starts looking to the A330 MRTT.
The move wouldn’t be much of a surprise, especially with the increased cooperation in Europe regarding the defense sector. Also, let’s not forget that Italy needs both flying boom and “hose and drogue” system to refuel its aircraft, and Boeing and Airbus are the only vendors to offer both options on their tankers.
The A330 MRTT, based on the successful A330-200, accumulated 85 orders from 18 countries around the world, with more than 340,000 flight hours since its introduction in 2011. The MRTT has been designed as a dual-role air-to-air refueling and transport aircraft since the start.
The A330 MRTT can carry up to 111 tonnes of fuel, which Airbus says is the highest capacity of all tanker aircraft available today. This fuel can be offloaded through four refueling stations, which include the two Cobham 905E under-wing pods, the Cobham 805E Fuselage Refuelling Unit and the Aerial Refuelling Boom System.
The tanker can also carry a maximum payload of up to 45 tonnes, with up to 300 passengers and up to 37 tonnes of cargo in the lower deck. Cargo to be conveniently stored inside the lower deck in a variety of cargo options covering the full range of existing under-floor cargo containers and pallets, while large items are loaded through a cargo door.
In 2018, Airbus signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin to jointly explore opportunities to meet the growing demand for aerial refueling for U.S. defense customers, centered around the A330 MRTT. The two companies even explored the idea to offer contract aerial refueling services, but later abandoned the plan, before Lockheed Martin ended its effort also for the tanker bid to the U.S. Air Force.
Airbus is now working on the fully Automatic Air-to-Air Refueling (A3R) technology with the boom system, which is intended to reduce air refueling operator (ARO) workload, improve safety and optimize the rate of air-to-air refueling transfer in operational conditions.
During the 2024 Farnborough Airshow, Airbus also launched the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport Plus (MRTT+) based on the A330neo. The company says the A330 MRTT+ introduces innovations from the A330-800 commercial airliner, including Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, optimized aerodynamics and wing-tips.
These help to deliver up to 8% lower fuel burn and reduced noise, while still retaining 95% airframe commonality with the current A330 MRTT. An increased maximum take-off weight of 242 tonnes (up from 233 tonnes) further extends range, increases fuel offload capacity, and enhances operational flexibility.
