[aviation news]
OTAN Orders two new A330 MRTT and shared fleet will come the twelve aircraft
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Acquisition Agency (NATO), announced yesterday (24), the order of two additional Airbus A330 MRTT, raising to twelve the total number of aircraft of the Multinational Mrtt Fleet program.
The expansion coincides with the formal adhesion of Sweden and Denmark to the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF), an initiative that aims to reinforce strategic autonomy and the interoperability of European defense. The program is initially funded by the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and includes the progressive participation of Germany, Belgium, Norway and Czech Republic. Countries are exclusive to the use of aircraft, which belong to NATO, in a sharing basis.
The A330 MRTT is a flying replenishment plane that can also perform strategic transport and medical evacuation. With a load capacity of up to 111 tons of fuel, you can perform long range missions with up to three hundred passengers or 45 tons of payload. It can also be configured with medical kits for the transport of patients in serious condition.
With more than 325,000 hours of accumulated flight, the A330 MRTT is the first certified refueling to operate with Air Spear Air Rehab System (A3R). The aircraft represents 90% of the global new generation refueling market outside the United States, with 84 units commissioned by seventeen customers.
Jean-Bríce Dumont, head of Airbus Air Branch Division Defense and Space, said the expansion of the fleet and the entry of new countries demonstrate European commitment to collective defense. “This collaboration exemplifies how the European industry can effectively respond to security challenges through innovation and cooperation”.
The new aircraft will be delivered in 2028 and 2029.
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