Airbus Defense and Space has won a US$1.3 billion (1.488 trillion won) tender for the supply of four aerial refueling tankers for South Korean, beating competing offers from its U.S. rival, Boeing, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
Under the deal, Airbus will supply four A330-200 in-flight refueling aircraft to the South Korean military by 2019.
South Korea evaluated three options for its aerial refuelers: Israel Aerospace Industries offering commercial Boeing 767, converted to multi-mission military refueling and transport missions; Boeing offered the KC-46, a new-built B767 refueling platform, developed for the US Air Force. Airbus proposed the military derivative of the commercial A330-200 based Multi-Role Tanker Transport, (MRTT).
The Airbus model is currently competing for a similar Indian Air Force tender and has already been selected by Australia, Britain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
