Airbus Advances MRTT+ Tanker Production While France Green-Lights VSR700 Naval Drone

Published:

June 20, 2025

Updated:

June 20, 2025

PARIS AIR SHOW — 19 June 2025.

Airbus used the mid-week peak of Le Bourget to firm up two programs that matter to every logistics planner on the continent. The A330-800neo Multi-Role Tanker Transport Plus (MRTT+) moved closer to launch as production leaders laid out a clear ramp-up plan. At the same time, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces signed a binding framework for the VSR700 uncrewed helicopter, locking the drone into the Navy’s next spending cycle. Both actions happened inside the last forty-eight hours, keeping them squarely in the show’s news window.

According to industry sources, Airbus finished internal gate reviews on Tuesday that clear the MRTT+ for long-lead material orders. Gear forgings, center wing box panels, and boom actuation parts now have release authority. Plant managers at Getafe expect the first tanker to roll into the conversion line before the year ends. That singular step turns an A330-800neo passenger hull into a refueller able to offload 111 tonnes of fuel. The airframer will hold to five tankers a year in 2026, jump to seven in 2027, and settle at nine a year once the boom supply chain stabilizes. Defense officials confirm a launch customer is “within contract signature distance,” but the name stays sealed until the ink dries.

The MRTT+ differs from the legacy A330-200 MRTT in ways that drive planners’ interest:

A330-800neo platform gives 15 percent better fuel burn.
Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines cut specific maintenance hours.
Downturned winglets add 1,200 nautical miles of self-deployment range.
Cockpit avionics migrate to the airliner’s “Airspace” baseline for easier crew training.
The automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) package becomes line-fit rather than retrofit.
Structural life target rises from 60,000 to 75,000 flight hours.

Our analysis shows the biggest driver behind the rapid schedule is a recognized tanker shortage. NATO’s annual readiness review lists a 25-percent shortfall in European boom capacity from 2028 onward if no new orders materialize. Several northern capitals—Finland, Norway, and Sweden among them—publicly backed a proposal on Wednesday to join the existing Multinational MRTT Fleet instead of buying single-nation assets. The fleet now stands at nine aircraft. Airbus sales staff believe the neo-based model could take that number to fourteen without forcing new infrastructure.

Le Bourget conversations also moved to production rhythm. Plant engineers in Spain already use a mixed civil-military flow for the current MRTT. Under the new plan, a second conversion dock will open at Manching, Germany. The additional position lets Airbus avoid stacked work orders when civil customers surge. Executives insist they will not build a new final assembly line; they will shuffle work areas and pull temporary cover when needed. The strategy lowers capital risk while answering what Dumont called “very high” demand.

Defense officials confirm the A3R software has cleared night trials with a multinational KC-30A test crew. Certification paperwork goes to Spanish regulators next quarter. Daytime boom mode gained approval in 2022, but hose-and-drogue automation lags. Airbus now targets 2026 for that release. Pilots briefed on the system describe it as “hands-off until disconnect,” freeing the cockpit crew to monitor airspace instead of focus on probe alignment.

Operational commanders eye the platform for more than fuel. Engineers at the Seville systems lab ran a successful power-edge test on Monday that lit a 16 kW pallet-mounted electronic-warfare jammer through the aircraft’s utility bus. The trial proved surplus electrical load exists for modular payloads. Airbus will decide this autumn whether to certify a full spectrum-support kit that slots into the main deck cargo system.

According to industry sources, talks also advance with Middle-East customers. One air force inside the Gulf Cooperation Council wants ten tankers and has asked for a joint industrial package that localizes maintenance. Airbus offered a “semi-knock-down” scheme in which green A330-800neos ferry to a partner’s facility for boom installation. Company lawyers say any such deal needs French export clearance, but note that the political track looks clear.

The show’s buzz around green fuel touched the tanker as well. The Trent 7000 already holds Sustainable Aviation Fuel approval up to 50 percent blend. An Airbus spokesman confirmed the first MRTT+ test flight will tanker with a 30 percent mix. The figure matches current civil practice and avoids supply-chain stress. Fuel burn cuts combined with higher-blend capability line up with the European Defence Fund’s climate goals, a fact not lost on budget committees.

On payload, the MRTT+ keeps the 111-tonne internal fuel load but gains an extra 3 tonnes in maximum takeoff weight headroom. Engineers direct the margin to structural reinforcement that handles higher centre-of-gravity shifts during refuelling. The change removes the 2G maneuver cap that occasionally restricts combat join-ups in turbulence. One test pilot called it “the first tanker you can fight, not just orbit.”

With the tanker news settled, attention moved across the tarmac to the drone park. Late Wednesday, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu signed the framework agreement that turns the VSR700 helicopter drone into a French Navy program of record. The ceremony involved Airbus Helicopters chief Bruno Even and Naval Group’s sales head Marie-Laure Bourgeois. The deal covers ten systems for delivery by 2030, with an option for five more before 2035. Each system equals one air vehicle, a ship control station, and ground spares.

The VSR700 owes its basic shape to the civil Cabri G2 light helicopter, yet the military fit delivers very different numbers:

Diesel powerplant extends endurance past eight hours at 100 nautical miles radius.
Maximum take-off mass stands at 760 kilograms.
Payload bay supports three full-size sensors without range penalty.
Automatic deck take-off and landing works up to Sea State 5.
Steeris mission system links directly into the frigate combat management network.

Naval test crews ran rough-sea trials in April aboard the frigate Provence. The drone landed twenty-six times in winds over 25 knots with no deck-hand intervention. Defense officials confirm the data satisfied safety authorities and unlocked the procurement signature seen this week. Shore integration will begin at Lanvéoc-Poulmic naval air station next spring.

Ship commanders value persistent surveillance. The Navy fit for the VSR700 pairs a Leonardo Seaspray maritime radar, a Safran Euroflir-410 electro-optical turret, and an AIS receiver. The radar tracks small surface targets, the turret provides identification, and the transceiver checks civil vessel data. That layered sensor mix removes blind arcs out to 80 nautical miles, something a crewed NH90 cannot match without draining its fuel reserves.

Our analysis shows the program’s framework contains three export paths. First, partner navies can ride on the original French contract under government-to-government rules. Second, Airbus may offer private business sales where licensing law allows. Third, NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency can bundle group buys. Officials from Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands sat in on Wednesday’s briefing, but none disclosed timelines.

Industrial workshare attracts attention as well. Airbus Helicopters at Marignane will build the airframe. Naval Group handles the Steeris consoles in Ollioules. Thales signed on for data-link encryption at Élancourt. The map spreads risk and placates regional development funds. It also positions the drone inside the same supply web that serves the NH90 and H160M, easing life-cycle cost.

Flight-test tempo accelerates. Two prototypes will fly out of Cherbourg in August for electromagnetic compatibility checks. A separate unmanned systems test range at Cazaux will conduct weapons separation trials next year with a guided-rocket pod. The French Navy has no armed requirement today, yet Airbus wants the option ready for export clients that need it.

Airbus links the rotorcraft to broader unmanned teaming work. Engineers recently flew a simulated mission in which an H225M helicopter controlled a Flexrotor fixed-wing drone. The same software core supports VSR700 interaction. Company strategy groups picture a single user interface that swaps between different air vehicles, keeping training hours low.

Defense officials confirm the Navy framework allows future mid-life refresh points. Block 1 covers the baseline sensor set and ship integration. Block 2 could add electronic support measures. Block 3 lists options for expendable sonobuoys or lightweight anti-ship missiles. Those steps remain unfunded but act as placeholders.

Beyond the two headline programs, Airbus also advanced supporting enablers this week. The A400M transport received a contract amendment from OCCAR that accelerates seven deliveries split between France and Spain. The move secures eight aircraft per year throughput at Seville and stabilizes wing manufacturing in Filton and Bremen. Managers highlight the synergy: the same boom-operator console used in the MRTT+ slots into the A400M’s refuelling pod control, easing cross-training.

Quantum Systems and Airbus signed a memorandum that links small vertical-take-off drones into the tanker and transport data cloud. The goal is to move tactical imagery straight from forward observers to the cockpit mission system, then via the tanker’s SATCOM to headquarters. Such connectivity patches a longstanding delay in European command chains. Our analysis shows the partnership supports the European Defence Industrial Strategy push for sovereign unmanned solutions.

Inside Le Bourget’s hall 2B, tour groups asked about supply chain resilience. Airbus addressed the point with a new “Blue Lane” initiative that reserves shipping slots for military hardware. The action grew from pandemic lessons when spare parts sat in ports. Logistics leads negotiated direct lift on NATO-controlled charter flights for high-priority items. The plan now forms part of every export pitch.

Sustainment budgets remain a deciding factor. The MRTT+ uses 20 percent fewer scheduled maintenance hours than the earlier model. A revised fuel management panel removes daily fluid transfer checks. On the drone side, the VSR700’s diesel engine runs on common naval fuel instead of specialized aviation gas, eliminating one logistics tail. Finance ministries take note.

Environmental and regulatory compliance came up in side meetings. EASA granted the VSR700 a Light Unmanned Rotorcraft Experimental certificate last month. That preliminary paper lets crew conduct ship trials in civil airspace under tight corridors, a first for a medium-weight drone in Europe. Regulators want to see automated collision avoidance before full certification. Airbus pledged an ADS-B-based solution by 2027, matching the in-service date.

Airbus closed Thursday’s schedule with a short press call. Executives declined to release order numbers but stressed confidence in the tanker’s business case. They pointed at current operators:

Australia
Canada
France
Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Belgium, Czech Republic (multinational fleet)
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Korea
Spain
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom

Several of those nations already hold options. The MRTT+ gives them a modernized path without switching vendors. That continuity underpins Airbus revenue projections for the next decade.

The French Navy breakthrough holds equal weight but runs on a different clock. The framework does not commit full funds; it sets the ceiling and schedules a series of tranche contracts. The Armament Directorate has budget lines in the 2024-2030 law, and parliament has signalled support. First operational capability in 2027 lines up with the arrival of the lead FDI frigate. Navy staff officers want the drone cleared before the ship finishes final work-up, avoiding integration lag.

Market analysts inside the show look at the broader pattern. Airbus now nudges every platform toward some level of uncrewed teaming. Tanker, transport, helicopter, and drone programs share data links, mission computers, and training concepts. This common backbone lowers entry barriers for smaller air arms. It also positions the firm as a systems integrator rather than a pure airframe builder.

For allies that lack deep defence budgets, the lure lies in multi-mission flexibility. A single MRTT+ can refuel fighters in transit, carry freight on the return, and relay drone video through its high-bandwidth satlink. The VSR700 does not merely extend a ship’s eyes; it frees the crewed helicopter for rescue or strike duties. Such practical capability shifts, not flashy headlines, explain the interest seen this week.

The Paris Air Show often wraps with order announcements. This year, the substance sat in these two agreements. The MRTT+ steps into formal launch phase with a production cadence that keeps European forces airborne. The VSR700 locks in as the Navy’s first shipborne helicopter drone and opens an export lane. Both moves signal a broader European intent: own the supply chain, field interoperable kit, and keep pace with technology rather than chase it.

Airbus Advances MRTT+ Tanker Production While France Green-Lights VSR700 Naval Drone

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