Singapore airforce buys six Airbus refuelling craft
Singapore's airforce is to buy six aerial refuelling tanker aircraft from European plane-builder Airbus. The order confirms the A330 MRTT's status as the most advanced refuelling and transport aircraft in the world, the company claimed.
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The A330 MRTTs will replace Singapore's Boeing KC-135s by 2030, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Thursday, although at the time he did not say how many had been ordered.
The A330 MRTT is a military derivative of the A330-200 airliner, built at Toulouse, south-west France, and converted for military use by Airbus Military in Getafe, Spain.
The order is reported to be worth about a billion euros, although the sum has not been officially confirmed.
"This decision confirms the A330 MRTT's uncontested status as the most advanced refuelling and transport plane in the world and shows its perfect suitability for use in the Asia-Pacific region," saud Airbus Military Aircraft boss Domingo Urena Raso.
Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the UK have already chosen the A330 MRTT.
India is currently negotiating an order of six and France is set to place an order, while South Korea has expressed interest, an Airbus official said at the end of January.
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