“The A330MRTT is clearly far more capable than the KC-767A according to my estimates.”
Sure, Mr B, the A330 is a much more capable tanker if you judge capability solely by how much fuel it can carry. But surely if it carries 20t more than you need, it’s too big. Which means you can’t buy as many of them for your budget.
D-IFF ident – Don’t have the figures to hand right now, but it was most of them. If the large US tanker to which you refer is the larger of their two mainstays, it does have an extra undercarriage leg which reduces the pavement loading considerably. Big aircraft + lots of wheels = lower runway strength required:
A330 ACN at MTOW = 66 (and 20 t too much fuel)
B767 ACN at MTOW = 58