On begin of June, 2025, Türkiye’s defence leadership is weighing Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus against Airbus’s A330 MRTT to replace seven KC-135R tankers based at İncirlik. Negotiations have reportedly reached the pricing-and-options stage, according to senior officials. A modern tanker fleet is critical after decades of relying on 1960s-era refuellers. The choice will shape Türkiye’s long-range strike reach, F-35 re-entry hopes and Eurofighter talks. It also signals where President Erdoğan intends to tilt Ankara’s future alliances.
Boeing’s KC-46A carries 96 t of fuel, can off-load up to 3 600 kg/min via its fly-by-wire boom or 1 300 kg/min through wing-pod drogues, and is hardened with DIRCM, EMP shielding and limited EW self-protection. Airbus counters with the A330 MRTT’s 111 t fuel load, automatic boom, dual hose-and-drogue pods and a roomy main deck that swaps in 300 troops or six ISO pallets in hours. Both airframes accept boom or probe receivers, but only the MRTT is already cleared on the Eurofighter and A400M, while the KC-46A still lacks Eurofighter certification despite 20+ US/NATO receivers on its list.