On Thursday July 28th the Organization for Joint Armament
Cooperation (OCCAR) and Airbus Defence and Space signed a contract two
purchase two A330MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) aircraft. The
aircraft will be utilized in the Air Transport (AT), Air-to-Air
refuelling (AAR) and
Medical evacuation (Medevac) roles. Both A330MRTTS are bought on
behalf of Luxembourg and The Netherlands and will be registered in The
Netherlands.
Eindhoven Air Base will be home for the new aircraft were they will
enter a pool from 2020. In the same year the two
Royal Netherlands Air
Force McDonnel Douglas
KDC-10s
currently operated by 334 squadron will be
withdrawn from service.
The acquisition of the two Airbus D&S MRTTs originated back to operation
Unified Protector (OUP) in Libya 2011. During the campaign the United
States and several European nations operated over the Mediterranean and
Libya maintaining a no-fly zone and enforcing an arms embargo. During
OUP it became very clear the European nations were lacking an Air-to-Air
refueling capability and thus being dependent on the USAF McDonnel
Douglas KC-10A Extender and Boeing KC-135R/T Stratotanker fleets to
refuel the fighter aircraft. Within the European Defence Agency the MRTT
project started with The Netherlands taking the lead in the program.
Both Airbus D&S with its A330MRTT and Boeing with its KC-46A Pegasus
aircraft were invited to submit their bids in 2014.
In 2015 during European Air Refueling Training (EART) exercise it became
clear that Airbus D&S would receive a request for proposal. At that time
it was planned to purchase three tankers with an option for one to be
operated by The Netherlands, Norway and Poland. Eindhoven AB would be
the main operating base with both Norway and Poland providing a forward
operating base. The 2016 edition of the EART revealed that Luxembourg
joined the other countries and both Belgium and Germany expressing their
interest in the MRTT program. Three aircraft would be bought with the
contract to be signed during the Farnborough International Air Show held
July 11-15.
The press release on July 28th
by The Netherlands MoD stated the purchase of only two aircraft and by
Luxembourg and The Netherlands only. However both the contract with
Airbus D&S and the Memorandum of Understanding between Luxembourg and
The Netherlands offer the participation of the nations and a follow on
order for one to six aircraft.
Part of the MoD press release seems strange. It states that the purchase
of the aircraft of the A330MRTT represents a significant contribution to
the scarce tanker and transport, in particular the European Union.
Basically the purchase is a replacement of both RNLAF KDC-10s which are
reaching the end of their service life and needed to be replaced anyway.
A significant contribution would have been made when more countries had
joined the program and thus more than two A330MRTTs were purchased.
Below table provides an overview of the current European (Union) nations
operating ‘MRTT’ aircraft.
It provides an overview of the current fleet, future fleet based on
contracts and the past fleet.
|
European MRTT
fleet: current,
future and past: |
|
Country |
Current |
No. |
Future |
No. |
Past |
No. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
France |
C-135FR |
11 |
A330MRTT |
9 |
C-135FR |
11 |
| |
KC-135R |
3 |
A330MRTT |
3 |
KC-135R |
3 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Germany |
A310MRTT |
4 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
B-707 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Italy |
KC-767A |
4 |
NA |
NA |
B-707 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Netherlands |
KDC-10 |
2 |
A330MRTT |
2 |
KDC-10 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spain |
B-707 |
1 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
B-707 |
1 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United Kingdom |
Voyager KC2 |
7 |
|
|
Tristar |
9 |
| |
Voyager KC3 |
6 |
|
|
VC-10 |
25 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Totals |
|
38 |
|
14 |
|
55 |
|
