Sep 28 2020

Multinational MRTT Fleet grows to nine aircraft after Luxembourg increased contribution to flying hours

LUXEMBOURG, 28 September 2020 – The NATO Support and Procurement (NSPA) will order an additional aircraft for the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF), further to Luxembourg's decision to increase its participation in the programme from 200 to 1,200 flight hours. The new aircraft will bring the MMF fleet to nine aircraft, providing the six participating nations with an enhanced availability to cover their requirement for air- to-air refuelling, strategic transport and medical evacuation.

This ninth aircraft is part of the three additional options originally included in the contract. The order will be placed by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) to Airbus Defence and Space, on behalf of NSPA.

"This is the result of the trust and commitment that Luxembourg has placed in the MMF programme since the very beginning of the project. We are very grateful for this decision as it will offer even more operational flexibility to our partner nations," said Jan der Kinderen, NSPA MMF System Manager.

Two aircraft have already been delivered to the Operational Unit (MMU) and are now performing training missions. A third one will follow between the end of October and early November. The rest of the fleet will be delivered by the end of 2024.

Multinational MRTT Fleet grows to nine aircraft after Luxembourg increased contribution to flying hours

Background

In 2012, the European Defence Agency (EDA) started to address the long-standing European shortfall in the air-to-air refuelling capacity. Since then, this initiative has grown into a mature programme managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), on behalf of the nations.

The Netherlands and Luxembourg initially launched the programme in July 2016, with the first as the lead nation of the project. Germany and Norway joined in 2017, Belgium followed in early 2018 and Czech Republic lastly joined the MMF programme in October 2019.

The MMF aircraft will be operated by the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit (MMU) comprising of military personnel from the participating countries. The unit is based in two permanent operating bases, the Main Operating Base in Eindhoven and the Forward Operating Base in Cologne-Wahn (Germany). Among the eight MMF aircraft, five will be based in Eindhoven, and three in Cologne.

Multinational MRTT Fleet grows to nine aircraft after Luxembourg increased contribution to flying hours

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Multinational MRTT Fleet grows to nine aircraft after Luxembourg increased contribution to flying hours

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