Lufthansa Technik Seeking International A310MRTT
Customers
Hamburg-based aircraft maintenance giant Lufthansa Technik and
EADS Airbus GmbH are pursuing customers on four continents for
expansion of their A310 MRTT multirole tanker/transport conversion
program.
First developed for the German air force, the A310 MRTT takes
commercial A310s and converts them from passenger carriers to
aircraft that can switch from aerial refueling tankers to flying
hospitals to troop transports to cargo transports by using quick-change
modules in a matter of days.
The two companies have supplied information on the program to
three unidentified European nations besides Germany, as well as
Australia, Brazil and Canada. High-ranking officials from the
six nations' embassies and defense ministries visited Hamburg
to see a conversion in progress. The officials also received briefings
on the program from German defense ministry officials as well
as from the two companies.
As the Airbus A310 German Air Force Consortium, LHT and Airbus have
converted four A310s to multirole capability since 1996. They originally
were built just to provide cargo/transport/hospital capability;
the aircraft all also will have tanker capability by 2004.
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