NATO has received its eighth A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft at Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands, bolstering the organization’s air-to-air refueling capabilities.
The aircraft will be used in allied refueling missions, as well as passenger and cargo transport.
The plane is scheduled to be fitted with refueling pods as part of its hose and drogue system, allowing it to refuel other aircraft conducting extended-range flights in NATO missions.
Two more advanced tanker aircraft are expected to be delivered by 2026.
NATO’s MRTT fleet is composed of units from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Bolstering NATO’s Air Capabilities
The multinational MRTT fleet was launched in 2023, utilizing Eindhoven as its main operating base and creating a forward operating base in Cologne, western Germany.
The aircraft are considered the “backbone of NATO’s airpower,” having flown more than 500 missions and refueling hundreds of fighter jets in air policing missions.
All 10 tankers were developed by NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency, the European Defence Agency, and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation.
Outside of the alliance, entities utilizing the A330 in their air missions include the Singaporean Air Force, which collaborated with Airbus last year to complete a series of automatic air-to-air refueling tests.
