I did hear that Airbus could start rolling A330 MRTTs off the production line after about 2 months of an order, ensuring they could "deliver the tanker well ahead of Boeing". Hard to say what 'Nonconforming' means without any output specifications being written for any specific orders or interim solution.
At the risk of repeating myself - again - the A330 MRTT does not even come close to meeting the USAF requirements as outlined in the RFP. Neither did the KC767, hence the need for a multi-year multi-billion dollar development program.
The idea that Airbus could begin delivering USAF compliant tankers 2 months after an order is laughable.
Now, if you want to question if the USAF really needs all that extra stuff - that's a very good (and very different) question. As I noted earlier, questioning some of the less-sensical USAF requirements was met with a "What part of
mandatory don't you understand" response.
