Airbus to Deliver South Korea’s First Aerial Refueling Tanker This Month

South Korean Air Force will get its first Airbus A330 MRTT Aerial refueling tanker by the middle of the current month allowing it to increase the operational radius of its fighter aircraft.

The aerial refueling tanker will undergo acceptance tests for one month after delivery to confirm quality requirements specified for weapons and equipment delivered to the military have been met, a military official was quoted as saying to the Yonhap news agency.

System construction, maintenance, and the aeronautical and logistics sectors and implementation of normal air-to-air refueling, are also subject to the inspection, the news agency added.

The Air Force will fly the tanker during the acceptance test to refuel F-15K and KF-16 fighters. The tanker is capable of carrying up to 240,000 pounds (108 tons) of fuel. Three additional A330 MRTT tankers built by Airbus Defence and Space will be added next year.