Page 30 - AirForces Monthly - Issue 381 (December 2019)

Intel
Report

European

tankers gain
tankers gain

momentum

Europe’s relative lack of air-to-air refuelling assets has often served to hinder NATO campaigns in the
past. Now, as Alan Warnes explains, modernisation plans are starting to bear fruit.

“The A330 MRTT was our tanker of choice and

a little different from the Voyager configuration
employed by the RAF. The UK has triple hose and
drogues, which includes the central station, but
many of the participating nations have aircraft
that require boom receivers, so we needed a
boom.” Jan Der Kinderen, NSPA
far, the wars thousands of miles away is Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands,
Boeing part of its remit. Getting fighters, the EATC commands and
KC-46A bombers and even tankers controls 20 AAR platforms
Pegasus has failed there will be a necessity. operated by five air forces.
to challenge the A330 In 2014, the European Air Transport Belgium and Luxembourg are
MRTT’s dominance on the Command (EATC) created its own the only EATC members that
E uropean reliance on the European marketplace, although AAR cell as a stepping-stone to don’t currently have such assets,
US and its 450 or so
the German and French air arms
although that is set to change.
enhancing tanking capabilities
refuelling tankers was a
According to the EATC, its
to standardise and harmonise
common theme during Operation have ordered five Lockheed in Europe. The EATC sets out AAR assets flew more than 400
Martin KC-130Js between them.
Allied Force over the former Air-to-air refuellers are expensive, procedures among its seven missions in 2018. A spokesman
Yugoslavia in 1999, Operation but they are vital to long-distance member nations: Belgium, France, told AFM in late September this
Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan deployments and supporting allied Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, year: “We prioritise the available
from 2001 to 2014, and Operation aircraft in combat. In a time of the Netherlands and Spain. requests against the available
Unified Protector over Libya in 2011. crisis, the commanders compiling Today, headquartered at assets and so far this year we
NATO and the European Union the battle plans will be keen to
(EU) promised to improve matters have as many AAR assets as EATC’s current AAR assets
and since 2014 there have been possible on hand. Up to the end Country Aircraft Number assigned Type
some serious efforts to acquire of the Cold War, NATO had always France C-160NG 3 drogue only
more air-to-air refuelling (AAR) concentrated its resources in Germany A310 MRTT 2 drogue only
capability for European air arms. preparation for a war that might A400M 1 drogue only
The Airbus A330 Multi-Role take place on its doorstep, and
Tanker Transport (MRTT) has been tankers were a lesser priority. Italy KC-767A 4 boom and drogue
at the centre of this, and it’s now Times have changed, and the KC-130J 3 drogue only
being augmented by the A400M’s EU is finally coming to terms Netherlands KDC-10 2 boom only
roll-on/roll-off AAR system. So with the realisation that fighting Spain KC-130H 5 drogue only

30 // December 2019 #381 www.Key.Aero

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