Originally Posted by
vascodegama
tdracer
In what way does the A330 not meet the requirements?
Read the thread - there are dozens of posts on the subject.
But the short answer is that the A330MRTT - as it currently exists - has a number of areas that would not comply with the published USAF requirements that both Boeing and Airbus needed to meet. No 'off the shelf' tanker would have come close. Mandatory requirements - not negotiable (some of them rather dumb but that's another issue).
That's why Boeing couldn't simply use the KC-767, which was already developed and has been in service for many years.