AkzoNobel Aerospace Coats French Air Force Tanker Aircraft

AkzoNobel's Aerospace Coatings business supplied products for a new long-distance tanker aircraft commissioned by the French Air Force.

Featuring the company's Aerowave 5001 water-based coating, not only is it the French Air Force's first new generation A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) aircraft, it's also the first aircraft of its size to be finished with an external water-based topcoat.

"Aerowave 5001 is designed to provide all the benefits of a solvent-based coating, but with vastly lower VOC emissions,” said Maud Khelstovsky, AkzoNobel's key account manager for Airbus. “This allows aircraft to achieve the surface durability and chemical resistance upon which they have come to depend while improving sustainability and helping to ensure regulatory compliance."

The new A330 MRTT was built by Airbus Defence & Space. There are 33 currently in operation – and another 27 on order.

AkzoNobel has been collaborating with the Airbus Defence & Space team for nearly three years, helping to address the specific needs of their military program.

The next milestone for the AkzoNobel and Airbus teams is to complete the Airbus qualification process for Aerowave 5001, planned for all Airbus military airplane programs in early 2019