Silberfuchs,
What about the A340, A330 and A340-600. Its a common type rating!
The 330 & 340 are
not common type ratings, they do not share the same type certificate data sheets.
You can CCQ between the 330/340 easily, 343/342 to 345/346 does require differances courses and simulator work.
There is no advantage for Airbus to certify the MRTT as a varient to the civil 330, it would require a certification program that would be available to all A330 operators as a STC, something which is expensive, and impossible to justify as a equivalent safety finding.
Airbus does have mods which allow for a conversion of say A340-311 into A340-312 by application of Airbus Service Bulletin covering modification, to develop such a bulliten for the MRTT would be very very expensive, give everyone access to the aircraft capabilities.
State aircraft, which by definition MIL aircraft are do not need to have a certificate of airworthiness as defined by ICAO, the pilots of state aircraft are not required to have a licence or a type rating/endorsement.
To be able to CCQ in Airbus terms means you have a civil Airbus type rating (i.e. also have a civil licence), have had approved training/revalidation within the previous two years on the type you are CCQing from.
Anyone can do a lateral revision to build a hold on a MCDU, its not hard. However no one would expect a civil 330 pilot to be able to fly a MRTT in a MIL role, and no-one would expect a 330 pilot to fly a MRTT in a MIL role.
I also suspect the MRTT would be more akin to the 330 freighter than the 330 pax aircraft.
With regard to the RNZAF 757 example you gave, these aircraft were civil certified aircraft before. I would expect the RAAF 707 pilots to be able to obtain civil 707 ratings as these aircraft were previously civil aircraft.
