Airbus’ additional order for a solo A330 MRTT from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) which will increase the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) to ten aircraft.
Airbus has announced an additional order for an A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) which will increase the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) to ten aircraft. The announcement follows Belgium’s decision to increase its participation in the programme by adding 1,100 flight hours per year.
The MMF provides strategic transport, air-to-air refuelling, and medical evacuation capabilities to its six participating nations: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Norway. The participating nations share costs proportionally according to their national commitment to flight hours per year, as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding.
The success of the MMF programme relies on the cooperation between NATO, the participating nations, and the industry. The MMF programme also serves as an example of how nations can pool and share resources to obtain ongoing access to state-of-the-art capabilities.
“Since the arrival of the first aircraft in 2020 and especially since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the MMF is protecting European sovereignty and showing its capabilities as a multirole tanker,” said Jean Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems, Airbus Defence and Space. “With this new order, NSPA has already acquired one out of four optional MRTTs requested beyond the nine aircraft contracted earlier, demonstrating the level of customer satisfaction,” she further added.
NSPA has already acquired one out of four optional MRTTs requested beyond the nine aircraft contracted earlier, demonstrating the level of customer satisfaction. The MMF unit has been deployed in NATO’s Eastern Flank, as well for the evacuation of Afghan civilians and refugees and for multinational exercises in the Indo-Pacific region with the German Air Force, among other missions.
The MMF already operates seven A330 MRTTs and reached its Initial Operational Capability ceremony on March 23rd, with Full Operational Capability expected in mid-2024. Two of the tankers yet to be delivered are expected to enter service in 2024, while the newly ordered aircraft will arrive at the end of 2026.
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The MRTTs from MMF operate from the MMU Main Operating Base (MOB) in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Cologne, Germany. The MMF programme’s continued success serves as a testament to the participating nations’ cooperation, which enables them to maintain state-of-the-art capabilities while sharing costs and resources.
