The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and Airbus Defense and Space hope to sign, by the end of 2023, the conversion of the two Airbus A330s to multi-mission tankers (MRTT). The aircraft were acquired in 2022 and entered into operation in the same year, operating in personnel transport missions.
According to information from the British portal Flightglobal, after g the contract, work on converting the jets should begin in 2025. According to a military officer interviewed by the website, the conversion is still being negotiated between the Air Force Command and the European manufacturer, with a forecast to be signed in December.
“The Brazilian Air Force will deliver the first aircraft to Airbus in 2025 and the second in 2026”, the source told the portal. The modifications will be carried out at the Airbus facility in Getafe, Spain. The first aircraft returns to service with the FAB in 2026 and the second the following year.
Designated KC-30 and ed 2901 and 2902, the two A330-200s were purchased from Azul Linhas Aéreas for around R$375 million. The widebodies were received in July and November of the same year, after being repainted in Ireland. They are currently operated by the Corsário Squadron from Galeão Air Base, in Rio de Janeiro.
Conversion with PAC funds
All work to adapt the planes will be carried out with funds from the Defense Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), announced by the Federal Government in August. According to the Veja magazine, part of the amount covering the three armed forces is allocated to “the conversion of FAB A330-200 transport aircraft for in-flight refueling, with preparation for aeromedical evacuation, in addition to materials, equipment and services.”
The purchase of the planes, under the KC-X2 project, was announced in 2021 by then-president Jair Bolsonaro, but the process only came to fruition the following year. With the converted planes, the FAB regains its long-range transport and refueling capacity, which has not existed since the retirement of the old Boeing KC-137 (707) in 2013, nicknamed Scrap.
Check this article with more details on the conversion of the Brazilian Air Force's A330s.
