AIRBUS has won the bitterly fought contract to supply the RAF with its Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) defeating a combined Boeing ” BAe bid. However all is not lost from a BAe point of view, the company a 20% owner of Airbus, will supply wings for the A330 to be used in the role. Rolls-Royce is part of the winning consortium. The aircraft will be able to operate with 300 passengers or carry up to 110 tons of fuel without the use of external tanks, a greater amount than any other airborne tanker. The aircraft will enter service progressively from 2008 to 2012 replacing a fleet of 19 Vickers VC10 and ten Lockheed Tristar.
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