According to the notice published 19 May 2026 on the TED portal (Tenders Electronic Daily, the official journal of European Union public procurement), Italy will acquire 6 Airbus A-330 MRTT tankers for a total value of 1.39 billion euros, including approximately 10 years of integrated logistic support.

The contract was signed on 16 April 2026, following the selection of the winner on 16 December last year. The new aircraft will replace the 4 Boeing KC-767A currently in service since 2011 with the 14° Stormo at Pratica di Mare.

The award closes a process that had been dragging on for several years. The Italian Air Force's original 2022 plan envisaged the acquisition of 6 Boeing KC-46A PEGASUS tankers (designated KC-767B in Italian service) with a synchronised trade-in of the existing 4 KC-767A. That programme was abruptly cancelled in June 2024, citing "changed and unforeseen requirements" without further official explanation.

A new tender was then launched in August 2024 as a European restricted procedure under EU Directive 2009/81/EC, with a ceiling value of 1.41 billion euros. The procedure ended without a result in April 2025, with the Italian Defence Ministry citing the absence of technically compliant bids. A second procedure followed, and this time only one bid was received: the one from Airbus. Boeing did not take part.

Italy thus becomes the latest European nation to adopt the A-330 MRTT, joining France, Spain, the United Kingdom and the multinational NATO MMF (Multinational MRTT Fleet) based at Eindhoven. The KC-767A fleet - operated only by Italy and Japan worldwide - will remain in service until at least the end of 2030.

Several elements remain to be defined: the specific platform variant (A-330 MRTT based on the A-330-200 or the new A-330 MRTT+ based on the A330-800), the delivery schedule, and Italian industrial participation, which on the TED notice is explicitly listed as "not yet known".

Follow us on Telegram, Facebook and X.