Airbus and NATO announced the acquisitionón of más airplanes Airbus A330 MRTT to support patrol missions on the West Flank.
The NATO Procurement and Support Agency has ordered más multi-function tanker transport aircraftón (MRTT, by its acronym in Englishés) Airbus A330, which increases the multinational fleet of MRTT to 10 planes.
This announcement follows the decisionón of Bélogic to increase your núnumber of hours in the program with 1.100 additional flight hours perñO. The multinational fleet of multi-purpose tanker trucks (MMF) provides stratum transportégic, airborne refueling and evacuation capabilitiesón métells his six paíits participants: Bélogic, the RepublicúCzech war, Germany, Luxembourg, the PaíNetherlands and Norway. These nations signed the Memorandumándum of Understanding that allows them to share costs proportionally according to the national commitment of flight hours perñO.
“Since the arrival of the first planeón and 2020 and especially since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the MMF isá protecting sovereigntyíto Europe and showing its capabilities as a multipurpose supplier”, said Jean Brice Dumont, Systems Manager AéAirbus Defense Military Prisoners. and space. “With this new order, NSPA has already acquired one of four optional MRTTs ordered más allá of the nine aircraft previously contracted, which demonstrates the level of satisfactionócustomer number”.
MMU of opera seven A330 MRTT and reachedó the initial operational capacity 23 of March. Full operational capability is expected by mid- 2024.
They are ésuccess is based on excellent cooperationón between NATO, participating nations and industry. The program alsoén is an example of cóhow nations can cooperate, pool and share resources for continuous access to cutting-edge capabilities.
The unit has been deployed to the Eastern Flank of NATO, así as for evacuationón of civilians and refugees From Afghanistanán and for multinational exercises in the regionóIndo-Pac nífic with Force AéGerman area, among other missions.
It is expected that two of the tanker trucks thatún have not been delivered come into service in 2024, while this new avión arriveá at the end of 2026. MMF MRTTs operate from the Main Base of Operations (MOB) the MMU and Eindhoven (Paílow ses) y el Forward Operating Base (FOB) in cologne (Germany).
