The first Airbus A330 MRTT+ aerial refuelling tanker has been spotted outside the company's final assembly line in Toulouse, ahead of its planned delivery to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) in 2029, according to Simple Flying.

The aircraft, which has yet to be fitted with its Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, will next undergo military conversion at Airbus Defence and Space's facility in Getafe, Spain, where it will be equipped with Airbus's Aerial Refuelling Boom System and hose-and-drogue refuelling equipment, the report said.

The A330 MRTT+ was launched at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2024 as the successor to the existing A330 MRTT. Built on the A330-200 airframe and based on the A330-800neo, the new variant will feature revised wings and wingtips designed to cut fuel consumption by about 8 percent and raise the maximum takeoff weight to 242 tonnes, while retaining roughly 95 percent commonality with the current MRTT, according to the outlet.

Thailand ordered one A330 MRTT+ in September 2025, with the aircraft also to be configured with a medical evacuation kit and a VVIP cabin. The RTAF currently operates more than 20 aircraft, including the Airbus A319, A340, and Sukhoi Superjet 100, alongside combat types such as the Saab JAS 39 Gripen.

Airbus has separately signed a memorandum of understanding with Thai Aviation Industries covering in-country maintenance support for the aircraft, building on existing cooperation on the C295 transport aircraft in Thailand, as part of what Simple Flying described as the kingdom's "Make in Thailand" localisation policy.

The A330 MRTT family has been cleared to refuel more than 25 aircraft types and has been ordered by 11 customers, including Australia, Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Spain, for a combined total of more than 85 aircraft, per the report.

Source: Simple Flying