The Brazilian Air Force/Força Aérea Brasileira aims to conclude a contract for the tanker conversion of two passenger A330-200s with Airbus Defence and Space by the end of the year, Flightglobal has reported citing military sources.
The two aircraft will be ferried for conversion at Madrid Getafe in 2024 and 2025, with redelivery and induction into service by the Air Force planned for 2026 and 2027, respectively. The A330-200(MRTT)s will join a fleet of smaller KC-390 multi-role aircraft, which can also be deployed as aerial tankers. The Brazilian Air Force currently operates six of those aircraft, with plans to grow the fleet to 19 units.
The two A330-200s have already been acquired by the Air Force but are currently operated as transports in normal passenger configuration. FAB2901 (msn 1492) was operated by Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras (AD, São Paulo Viracopos) through July 2022, while FAB2902 (msn 1508) was in service with Avianca Brasil through April 2019 (although it was also sold via Azul). Both aircraft are 2014 models and have been operated by the Brazilian Air Force since the second half of 2022.
