Page 33 - AirForces Monthly - Issue 381 (December 2019)

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Above: France took delivery of the first of two KC-130J Hercules tankers on
September 19 when serial 5874 (c/n 5874) arrived at Orléans. The variant was
awarded military type certification by the Direction générale de l’armement
(DGA, the French defence procurement agency) on September 5. Armeé de l’Air/
Mathilde Defossez Left: NATO’s MMF will receive its first A330 MRTT on May 2
next year. The initial aircraft for the force is KC-30M MRTT054 (c/n 1830), seen
wearing Spanish test registration EC-340; it will receive the serial M-001 once it
enters service. Airbus
European tanker fleets made some major in-roads in nuclear deterrence mission from
upgrading its tanker fleet. Two BA 125 as well as offering intra
France A330 MRTTs ordered in 2014 and inter-theatre refuelling and
A330 MRTT 12 Two ordered in 2014 and ten in December 2015. First have now been delivered to strategic transport capabilities. It is
pair delivered to Istres and declared operational Base Aérienne (BA) 125 Istres- the first step towards replacing the
October 2019 and remainder to be delivered by end of Le Tubé, where the last arrived current fleet of three KC-135RGs
2023. on July 3. After a technical and and 11 C-135FRs that have served
KC-135RG 3 Upgraded C-135FR. operational evaluation campaign since August 1985, some of which
C-135FR 11 In service from August 1985. to develop the procedures for the are nearly 60 years old. As a multi-
aircraft by the Centre d’Expertise role aircraft, the A330 will also
KC-130J 2 On order; one delivered and the second to be delivered Aérienne Militaire (CEAM, the replace the Airbus A310 and A340
next year. French military flight-test centre), aircraft of Escadron de Transport
Germany
the first two A330 Phénix aircraft (ET) 3/60 ‘Esterel’. By 2023, the
A310-304 4 In service from February 2009. were declared operational in Phénix fleet should be able to
KC-130J 3 On order; to be delivered in 2021. October last year. Ten more deploy 20 Rafales in 48 hours.
ordered in December 2015 will Additionally, the first of two
Italy
be delivered by the end of 2023. KC-130J refuellers ordered in
KC-130J 3 Upgraded with AAR kits from 2011. One aircraft was lost They will serve with the Escadron 2017 and 2018 was delivered
November 23, 2009.
de Ravitaillement en Vol et de to BA 123 Orléans-Bricy on
KC-767A 4 In service from May 2011. Transport Stratégique 1/31 (ERVTS, September 19. The second
Netherlands aerial refuelling and strategic should be delivered next year.
KDC-10 2 In service from November 2012. Both to be retired by transport squadron) ‘Bretagne’. The KC-130J will allow the air
end of 2021. On October 3, the A330 Phénix force to refuel H225M Caracal
was declared operational in helicopters, giving them greater
Spain
support of the nuclear deterrence reach. The French, frustrated by
KC-130H 5 In service from 1976, will eventually be replaced by mission and is now an integral part the lack of progress with helicopter
A400Ms.
of the strategic air force system. AAR work on the A400M, opted
Sweden This followed a year of evaluation for the KC-130J. These will be
TP 84T Hercules 1 In service from 2005. by CEAM using the first aircraft, operated by ET 2/61 ‘Franche-
UK which arrived at Istres on October Comté’, initially based at Orléans,
2, 2018. The Phénix is now able to and will likely spell the end of
Voyager KC2/3 14 In service from 2012. carry out tanking in support of the the AAR-equipped C-160NGs.
100th Air Refueling Wing

In Europe, the 100th Air Refueling Wing the UK for the same reasons. Sometimes
(ARW) based at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, there are also US Marine Corps and
fields the KC-135R, catering for the US Navy KC-130s flying in European
needs of the USAF’s European theatre airspace, but these are usually in transit
and Middle East when required. with a deploying fighter squadron and
US-based KC-135Rs regularly deploy to rarely work with European nations.

Four 100th ARW KC-135Rs perform an ‘elephant walk’ as they take off together from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. The Stratotankers were participating in off-station
training to practise four-ship formation procedures. USAF/Karen Abeyasekere

www.Key.Aero #381 December 2019 // 33

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