Considering the first A330 MRTT was handed over to the launch customer in June 2011 - had Airbus won, the USAF could have a handful of KC-45s flying already.
That's ludicrous. Boeing "handed over" KC-767s to Japan way back in 2008. You fail to recognize that what USAF specified and what Airbus is now delivering are two VERY different things and not at all comparable.
Might have taken 5 years for the RAAF to agree the software specifications for the KC-30A boom, but all the other A330 MRTT operators, who have the boom option, have been using theirs operationally for a few years.
I believe there's a rather large difference between "using" something operationally for "a few years," and having all the bugs worked out to the point that the boom meets all of its specifications/requirements over its full envelop. For example, the A400 Atlas is now being "used operationally", but it is
very far from reaching IOC.