The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) announced today (06) that Azul SA was the winning bidder for the acquisition of two Airbus A330-200 aircraft, for US$ 80.581 million. The purchase of the planes is part of the KC-X3 Project, which aims to obtain two long-range transport and refueling aircraft.
The result of bidding No. 220004/CABW/2022 was published in the Official Gazette this morning by Brazilian Aeronautical Commission in Washington (CABW).
The aircraft will be designated KC-30 and will later undergo conversion to MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) in Getafe, Spain, a job that takes around 18 months according to Airbus.
In addition to refueling other aircraft, the A330 MRTT can carry out enger, cargo and medical evacuation missions. The model has already been ordered by Spain, Australia, , NATO, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom, in addition to be competing in the US against Boeing.
See more: A330 MRTT: meet the future tanker plane of the Brazilian Air Force
Since the retirement of the four former Boeing KC-137s (707s converted into tanker planes) in 2013, the FAB has lost its strategic in-flight refueling (REVO) capability, something important given the country's continental dimensions.
The Air Force Command even selected the Boeing 767 as the Force's new tanker. Two planes were to be converted for the mission by Israel Aerospace Industries. However, economic problems interrupted the process and only one 767 was leased by the FAB between 2016 and 2019.
Today, the only tankers in service with the Air Force are a pair of KC-130M Hercules, registrations 2461 and 2462, in service with the Fat Squadron. These aircraft will soon be complemented and then replaced by Embraer's KC-390 Millennium, which will soon be performing REVO missions with the F-5M, A-1M, F-39 fighters, H-36 Caracal helicopters and the search and rescue SC-105 Amazonas-SAR.
The two new FAB A330s will be operated by the Corsário Squadron (2nd/2nd GT), a transport unit based at Galeão Air Force Base (RJ) that operated the KC-137s and C-767s.
