German Air Force Begins Phasing Out A310 MRTT Planes

The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) has begun decommissioning its special convertible version of the Airbus A310 plane, called the A310 MRTT.

“The 10 + 27 is the first to be dismantled at Deutsche Lufthansa Technik. In the coming days, hazardous substances, special materials and liquids will be removed,” the service tweeted.

A310 MRT aircraft is a military air to air refuelling, or in-flight refuelling tanker transport aircraft, capable of operating multi-role missions. The A310 MRTT tanker aircraft is a subsequent development from the earlier Airbus A310 MRT Multi-Role Transport, which was a military transport aircraft for passengers, cargo, and medical evacuation.

Germany was the first customer for the MRTT, converting four of their seven existing A310 MRTs, with deliveries starting in October 2004. The Air Force successively used seven Airbus A310-300s, four of which were transformed into in-flight refuellers with nacelles under the wing.