Spain’s Council of Ministers has approved a seven-year framework agreement with Poland for a joint purchase of Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft, in a deal valued at €5.4 billion. The plan covers the aircraft and the logistics support needed to bring the fleet into service, with the procurement structured through the EU’s SAFE financing instrument and an addendum enabling Poland to join the Spanish-led programme.
The joint buy is expected to cover at least seven aircraft, with Poland due to receive four by 2030 and Spain the remaining three. Spain already has an A330 MRTT programme under way, and the new framework expands that capability while bringing Poland into a common tanker and strategic transport fleet. The arrangement still requires negotiation and finalisation before it becomes a signed contract.
The purchase aligns two NATO allies around a shared strategic airlift and refuelling solution at a time when European defence planners are seeking greater tanker capacity. Poland had previously been expected to pursue its own tanker option, but the joint structure opens the way for a combined acquisition and support package rather than two separate programmes.