Airbus A330 MRTT

Nicolas10 said:
Europe is not a country though.
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Sure, but the EU is still a union with a much more binding mutual defence clause than even NATO.
If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. This shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States.
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https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meet..._/sede200612mutualdefsolidarityclauses_en.pdf
The UK also has a new defence-security agreement with the EU i believe
 
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Nicolas10 said:
Europe is not a country though.
Click to expand...

Well done for pointing that out....

The A330 MRTT are all in service with European NATO states....12 are also under the MNT arrangement. These forces routinely exercise together and there are well established procedures and protocols for sharing/borrowing capability.

In the current geopolitical climate of a United States increasingly disconnecting from Europe one of the regular criticisms of European defence forces is that they rely on US enablers....I'm pointing out that one of those enabling functions that the US provided (through the Cold War AAR was pretty much a US, UK or French preserve in NATO, and the bulk of the French fleet was reserved for Force de Frappe roles) has now effectively been covered entirely by Europe....with the arrival of MRTT, A400, C-390, plus the C-17 fleets and AN-124 availability you could make a reasonable claim that the air transport aspect has been covered as well....or at least it will be when MRTT and A400 deliveries are complete.
 
First time i hear about this, but reading the defensienota 2026 i noticed that the Netherlands might add 1 MRTT to the NATO MMF fleet

https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/kamervragen/detail?id=2026D33355&did=2026D33355

We are strengthening the command and control of air operations, expanding the tanker fleet with an additional Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, enhancing support for operational units, and increasing the number of fighter aircraft in line with NATO requirements.
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This article contradicts the above by stating that the number to be purchased is undisclosed.

Spain Gives Green Light To Joint Polish-Spanish MRTT Buy

A joint Spanish-Polish procurement of Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft has been given the green light by the Spanish government.

Madrid’s Council of Ministers approved spending of up to €5.4 billion ($6.3 billion) on an undisclosed number of the aircraft and associated logistical support during an Aug. 25 meeting.

The two nations have put together a framework agreement for the purchase of the aircraft that allows Poland to use Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loans provided by the European Union.

According to the readout from the Council of Ministers, the framework agreement will last seven years from the date of formalization.
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Can't see the twitter post.

So what have we got that can be boomed?

E-7 Wedgetail
P-8 Poseidon
RC-135 Rivet Joint

Are the C-17's plumbed in? would they need re-fueling?

Then i guess

F-35A if / when ordered
What about GCAP in the future, would make sense as it's going to be a big beast.
 
bob225 said:
Can't see the twitter post.

So what have we got that can be boomed?

E-7 Wedgetail
P-8 Poseidon
RC-135 Rivet Joint

Are the C-17's plumbed in? would they need re-fueling?

Then i guess

F-35A if / when ordered
What about GCAP in the future, would make sense as it's going to be a big beast.
Click to expand...

Boom
E-7 Wedgetail
P-8 Poseidon
C-17 Globemaster
RC-135W Rivet Joint
GCAP
F-35A (if we buy it)

Probe and Drogue
Typhoon
F-35B
A400M
CH-47 - New build (if we ever use A400M for tanking)
Merlin HC.4 (if we ever use A400M for tanking)
 
timmymagic said:
Boom
E-7 Wedgetail
P-8 Poseidon
C-17 Globemaster
RC-135W Rivet Joint
GCAP
F-35A (if we buy it)

Probe and Drogue
Typhoon
F-35B
A400M
CH-47 - New build (if we ever use A400M for tanking)
Merlin HC.4 (if we ever use A400M for tanking)
Click to expand...
RAF C-17s haven't been cleared for AAR. Officially.
Too busy.

Chris
 
That is mad Chris not clearing the RAF C-17's for AAR. They should have put the flying boom onto the Voyager tankers as well as the probe and drouge pods that would have solved a lot of problems early on.
 

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