UAE order for Airbus carrier on target

ABU DHABI - The UAE will receive the first of its three ordered A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) military aircraft by the end of the year, a top official from European manufacturer Airbus told reporters on the sidelines of the 10th International Defence Exhibition and Conference on Monday.

by

Nissar Hoath

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Published: Tue 22 Feb 2011, 11:17 PM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 4:19 AM

The UAE Armed Forces ordered the air-to-air refuelling MRTT in 2008.

“The delivery of the aircrafts to the UAE will be as per schedule with first arriving by the end of this year,” Airbus Head of Market Development Didier Vernet said.

The manufacturer has so far secured six orders for A310 MRTTs and 28 A330 MRTTs, three of which are going to the UAE. The other orders for these aircraft came from Saudi Arabia, UK, Australia, Germany and Canada.

About further orders for the MRTT, Vernet he said he was optimistic. “For demand, there is interest in the region. We also expect increase in the sales of the MRTTs.”

He said that since transport aircrafts have a lifespan of between 20 to 30 years, the new Airbus versions of these aircraft are well-placed for their replacement, thus increasing the demand. Vernet said there were about 1,800 such aircraft operational and the Airbus expects to receive at least 400 orders as the demand rises with replacement of old aircraft.

“Having won 28 orders from four customers, including a repeat order, the A330 MRTT leadership in this market segment has been clearly demonstrated. The superior performance of the A330 MRTT new generation strategic tanker/transport aircraft in both air-to-air refuelling and transport capabilities was a major factor and some missions studied show benefits of up to 40 per cent compared to competitors,” he said.

nissar@khaleejtimes.com


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