South Korea Picks Airbus For In-flight Tankers

South Korea's state-run weapons buyer has chosen Airbus to supply four aerial tankers, a deal reported to be worth around KRW1.2 trillion won (USD$1.07 billion).

The purchase of the country's first aerial refuelling tankers is part of South Korea's efforts to strengthen its air defences amid tensions between China and Japan over maritime interests and as North Korea continues to bolster its arsenal.

Airbus's A330 MRTT beat Boeing's KC-46A and Israel Aerospace Industries' MMTT for the tender, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said.

The tankers are expected to be delivered between 2018-2019.

Airbus has been chosen to supply around 60 A330 MRTT tankers to about 10 countries including the UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Singapore, with 24 tankers already in service.