News has just emerged that Airbus Military has confirmed it has been selected by the Government of India as the preferred bidder to supply its A330 MRTT to the Indian Air Force. India´s selection of the A330 MRTT makes it the fifth nation to commit to the type following Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom which have ordered a total of 28 aircraft.
The number of sales are nowhere near what Boeing acquired with its sale to the USAF. But we know that sale was complicated by factors unlikely to have been involved in the other competitions. As more nations decide to add in-flight refueling to their air forces, it would seem that Airbus is off to a great start with its A330 offering.
Global air forces have the choice of tankers from Airbus, Boeing, and now even a low cost alternative from Israel.
