For the Italian Air Force, a fleet of six Airbus tankers is arriving, instead of the two Boeing KC-767 A for aerial refueling and transport commissioned in 2022.
The Ministry of Defense has awarded Airbus Defence and Space, the defense division of the European aerospace group Airbus, a contract worth approximately 1.39 billion euros for the acquisition of six new tanker aircraft destined for the Air Force, including integrated logistical support for over ten years. This emerges from the award notice published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), the EU public procurement platform, published on May 19, as reported by Agenzia Nova.
The program comes at the end of a complex process. In 2022, Rome had opted for the acquisition of Boeing KC-46A tankers. However, the program was canceled in 2024, while a subsequent European procedure launched in the same year ended without offers meeting the required technical specifications. The new procedure instead recorded the submission of a single offer, that of Airbus.
As highlighted by Defense News, the agreement marks the shift from Boeing to Airbus for the Italian Air Force, which operates four tankers based on the Boeing 767. The aircraft, which entered service from 2011, have an estimated age between 19 and 22 years according to the aeronautical analysis company Cirium, cited by FlightGlobal.
All the details.
THE CONTRACT WON BY AIRBUS FOR ITALY’S TANKERS
Thus, the winner of the new contract is Airbus Defence and Space S.A.U., a company based in Getafe, Spain, with its A330 MRTT platform.
The restricted European tender, managed by the Directorate of Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness (Armaereo), concerned the “renewal, enhancement, and integrated logistical support” of the Air Force’s “Heavy Multi Role” tanker line.
According to the documentation published by the EU, the contract provides for the acquisition of six tankers and related integrated logistical support, with an overall estimated duration of 122 months, just over ten years.
THE AWARD
The notice indicates that the contract was concluded between the two parties on April 16, while the winner was chosen on December 16, 2025. The program will last about 10 years, but no further information is known regarding the date of the first deliveries.
THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE ITALIAN SUPPLY CHAIN
According to Sole 24 Ore, the assignment could also involve the Italian supply chain through Atitech, a Naples-based company specialized in aeronautical maintenance, nominated for the general agreement for services dedicated to the Airbus military fleet.
THE VALUE OF THE CONTRACT
The final value of the awarded contract is 1.393 billion euros, compared to an initial estimate of about 1.408 billion.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE A330
According to Airbus’s website, the A330 has a range of up to 16,000 kilometers and can carry a maximum payload of 45 tons. Once delivered, Italy would become the 19th nation to operate the tanker aircraft, joining other European MRTT operators, including France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as a shared fleet operated for Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Norway, with Denmark and Sweden joining later.
Furthermore, it is believed that Germany and Poland are also planning new orders for the platform, FlightGlobal notes.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BOEING KC-46 PEGASUS PROGRAM
As already mentioned, Rome initially announced its intention to acquire Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tankers in 2022, with parliamentary approval.
“The heavy multi-role tanker capability of the Air Force is based on the Boeing KC-767 A Tanker/Transport platform, derived from the Boeing 767-200ER (Extended Range) civilian model, which guarantees high range and cargo volume, combined with aerial refueling capability. The two additional aircraft are from the same KC-767 A family,” explained the Defense fact sheet attached to the ministerial decree approving the multi-year program A/R no. SMD 08/2021.
The two aircraft would have thus been added to the “4 Boeing KC-767 already employed by the Air Force at the Pratica di Mare base, intended for modernization. The program cost was estimated at 1.41 billion euros spread over 15 years, until 2035.
However, in the summer of 2024, the acquisition was abruptly halted due to “changed and unforeseen needs,” as reported at the time by The Aviationist, pushing the Air Force to consider other competitors. At the time, Defense News reported that the suspension of the order was related to costs and promised delivery times for the new aircraft.
THE WEIGHT OF A EUROPEAN (RATHER THAN AMERICAN) OPTION?
Finally, the US defense-specialized outlet also emphasizes that Italy’s order to the European Airbus comes at a time when European armed forces are aiming for greater standardization of equipment and show increasing caution towards purchasing American systems, also in light of frequent criticisms by former President Donald Trump of the historic transatlantic alliance between the United States and Europe.
