Canadian Warplanes 6: Airbus CC-330 Husky

Airbus CC-330 Husky

(Canadian Forces Photo)

The CC-330 is the RCAF version of the civilian Airbus A330 MRTT, based on the civilian A330-200. Nine have been purchased. The first one landed at Ottawa on 31 Aug 2023. The CC-330 is replacing the RCAF’s current fleet of CC-150 Polaris aircraft in the strategic tanker transport and air refueling roles. The Canadian government awarded Airbus Defence and Space a $3.6 billion contract for four new Airbus-built A330 MRTTs and the conversion of five used A330-200s to the MRTT configuration. The contract is part of Canada’s STTC project. The five used A330-200s include two which were acquired by Canada in July 2022 for US$102 million. A year later, three more were purchased  for  $150  million  US.  All five aircraft were previously operated by Kuwait Airways.