Canadian Defence minister Anita Anand revealed on 14 July that the Department of National Defence (DND) on 14 July has finalized a contract to buy and convert a pair of Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft into multirole tanker transport (MRTT) platforms, as an initial step in the Strategic Tanker Transport Capability (STTC) program for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
A $102 million contract to buy the two A330-200s was awarded to International Airfinance Corporation. After their delivery in Q4 2023, they may be placed into early service in passenger/cargo roles before being converted to the MRTT role.
Airbus competed against Boeing (with the KC-46A Pegasus) to meet the six-aircraft STTC requirement.
Canada; DND selects Airbus MRTT tankers