Airbus A330 MRTT
The Flying Fuel Depot
“An airliner that tops up fighters at 30,000 feet.”
Airbus Defence and Space · military
The Airbus A330 MRTT is an A330 airliner turned military tanker, trailing fuel from a boom and underwing hoses while still carrying 300 troops or 45 tonnes of cargo in the cabin. The UK calls it Voyager, France calls it Phénix, Australia calls it the KC-30A — and a shared NATO fleet serves eight nations at once.
The A330 MRTT became the world's first tanker certified for fully automatic boom refuelling — the boom flies itself onto the receiving aircraft.
Looks like an A330 in grey or military markings. The giveaways: a refuelling boom under the tail, hose pods under the wingtips, and no airline logo.
One might be overhead right now.
Bogey turns the The Flying Fuel Depot from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook.
