European Nations Launch MRTT Tanker Fleet Acquisition

[D-IFF_ident]

"The NATO Support Agency (NSPA) an NATO Support Organisation and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) signed a joint agreement to launch the acquisition phase of the Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Fleet (MMF) under the lead of the Netherlands on November 21."


European Nations Launch MRTT Tanker Fleet Acquisition (http://www.defenseworld.net/news/11570/European_Nations_Launch_MRTT_Tanker_Fleet_Acquisition#.VHTc9 YebGZO")

[Mil-26Man]

Some more info here Europe kick-starts tanker procurement project - IHS Jane's 360 (http://www.janes.com/article/46210/europe-kick-starts-tanker-procurement-project)

[ORAC]

Europe Expands Airtanking with Airbus A330 Selection (http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/support/2014/12/19/uk-tanker-airbus/20636345/)

LONDON — Three European nations plan are to pool their resources and purchase Airbus A330 multirole tanker transport aircraft starting in 2019. The Netherlands, Poland and Norway are preparing to open negotiations with Airbus for a fleet of new aircraft, the European Defence Agency (EDA) announced on Friday.

The deal would help close a gap in European tanking capability most recently illustrated by the 2011 NATO mission against the Libyan regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi. The selection of Airbus for negotiations follows a request for information this year from the European aerospace company and rival air tanker supplier Boeing, with the 767.

The three nations have agreed to create a NATO Support Agency partnership to run the program and has tasked OCCAR, the European collaborative defense equipment management organization, to open negotiations with Airbus. A spokesman said they hope negotiations will be finalized with Airbus in 2016. Industry executives said the three nations have given themselves a "very challenging" timeline to move from completion of negotiations to the start of operations, probably initially in the transport role.

The new European fleet will be equipped with a rigid boom as well as underwing refueling pods. A minimum of four airframes are expected to be purchased, although the final number depends on the cost of the airframes and whether other European nations opt to join the program.

Ten European Union states, led by the Dutch, signed a letter of intent in November 2012 to consider acquiring new multi-role aircraft. Belgium, France, Spain, Hungary and Portugal were among the other nations that signed the letter alongside the three nations now pushing ahead with the program.

The EDA spokesman said the assumption is the pooled aircraft will be based at the Dutch Air Force base at Eindhoven, where other European airlift operations are sited............

[BEagle]

An interesting decision. It was previously thought that Poland had an organic rather than consortium requirement for 4 of its own tanker aircraft, for which Boeing was hoping to secure a deal for the KC-46A.

Presumably this announcement means that Poland has re-assessed its needs?

Incidentally, in the spirit of yuletide it would be nice to see Boeing managing to fly their 767-2C EMD-1 aircraft in the coming week. Although the first KC-46A flight is now slated for 'mid-April' / 'late Spring' 2015.

Spain would also like the A330MRTT and France has already ordered it. But it remains to be seen whether Belgium, Hungary, Portugal and separately, Sweden will decide on their own tanker acquisition programmes.

An exchange tour at Eindhoven would doubtless prove attractive to any RAF Voyager pilots not seeking to take their A330 / A350XWB TRs to an airline...:hmm:

[LowObservable]

Boeing is planning to fly the 767-2C before year-end. Dang. When I saw it in late June, Boeing was still saying 3Q14 and I guessed first-quarter 2015 from the state of the jet and the surrounding odor of fear and panic.

[ShotOne]

"RAF Voyager pilots' A350 TR"??

[BEagle]

Indeed. The latest information I have is that Voyager pilots who have civil licences and apply for a TR on completion of TRTO training receive a TR for the A330 and A350XWB.

Of course my informant might have been talking bolleaux, but I doubt it.

[cessnapete]

Beagle that is correct, a Voyager mate of mine went to CAA Gatwick and picked up a shiny new ATPL, on completion of the RAF AirTanker conversionn. This is in effect the standard airline TR A330 course with the RAF differences bits tacked on at the end.
The A350 TR is expected to be a short differences course, if you are A330 qualified.

[ORAC]

Germany eyes future spending of one billion euros on new tanker fleet | Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-airbus-tanker-idUSKBN13H23K)

The German military could spend up to 1 billion euros in coming years for use of new Airbus (AIR.PA) A330 MRTT tanker planes to be bought as part of a new European multinational fleet, according to a German budget document. In a project initiated by the European Defence Agency, the new refueling aircraft will be bought by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency and be stationed at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands for pooling and sharing.

The German parliament is expected to approve this week the 2017 federal budget, which includes an initial 2.5 million euros for potential "membership dues" for Germany's participation in the new Multinational MRTT Fleet.

A report sent to parliament with the overall budget plan said Germany could spend around 1 billion euros on the program, which will replace its current fleet of four ageing A310 tankers. It gave no timetable for the expenditures. The cost of the new tanker fleet, which will also offer medical evacuation capabilities, will be divided among members according to flight hours.

Germany estimates it will need 4,500 flight hours per year, about 51 percent of the 8,800 planned for the total fleet, according to the document. The plan must still be approved by the German parliament, something Berlin wants to see before September 2017 national elections.

The Netherlands and Luxembourg have already signed an agreement initiating the program. Norway and Belgium are considering joining in, with decisions due by Jan. 31 2018 at the latest.

Before it joins, Berlin is insisting on assured access to the planes and creation of a forward operating base for the new tankers at the Cologne-Bonn airport, as well as representation in the leadership of the new consortium.

[BEagle]

Not really new information.

Of course there will need to be a 'boom/no boom' decision. But why insist on a medevac fit, when there will be any number of A400M available for the task if required?

With any number of airlines moving to the A350XWB, in a few years time there should be a decent number of A330s available which could be converted probably at lower cost, quicker and better at somewhere such as Elbeflugzeugwerke rather than Getafe...

The Luftwaffe needs to ensure that it will still have the same number of jet tankers available as it does today, no matter how that is achieved. Although the A330MRTT has 50% more capacity than the A310MRTT, it cannot be in 2 places at once.

[Davef68]

Bearing in mind a lot of the countries involved only operate boom capable fast jets (Norway, Holland, Denmark, Belgium) then I think a boom in inevitable.

Which might come in handy for selling time to an ally with boom only aircraft but no boom equipped tankers.....

[ORAC]

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_145519.htm

Today (29 June 2017), Defence Ministers from Germany and Norway joined a Memorandum of Understanding for a European multinational fleet of Airbus tanker transport aircraft, originally created by the lead-nation Netherlands and Luxembourg. The two countries launched the initiative in July 2016 by ordering two Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft, which are due to be delivered in 2020. With Germany and Norway joining the initiative, the fleet is expected to expand to up to seven aircraft.......

Belgium intends to join this programme in early 2018, and the initiative remains open to other new members. The procurement programme is another example of the increasingly close cooperation between NATO and the European Union.

[ORAC]

Germany and Norway place firm order for fleet of five NATO-owned Airbus A330 MRTT tankers (http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2017/09/Germany-and-Norwa-place-firm-order.html)

Madrid, 25 September 2017 – Airbus Defence and Space has received a firm order for five Airbus A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transports from Europe’s organisation for the management of cooperative armament programmes – OCCAR – on behalf of NATO Support & Procurement Agency (NSPA) and funded by Germany and Norway. The order follows the announcement on 29 June of a Memorandum of Understanding under which the two nations would join Netherlands and Luxembourg in the European/NATO Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) programme.

A contract amendment signed at the OCCAR headquarters in Bonn, Germany today adds five aircraft to the two previously ordered by Netherlands and Luxembourg and includes four additional options to enable other nations to join the grouping. It includes two years of initial support. The programme is funded by the four nations who will have the exclusive right to operate these NATO–owned aircraft in a pooling arrangement. The aircraft will be configured for in-flight refuelling, the transport of passengers and cargo, and medical evacuation flights.

The first two aircraft have already been ordered to be delivered from Airbus Defence and Space’s tanker conversion line at Getafe near Madrid and all seven are expected to be handed over between 2020 and 2022.......

[BEagle]

It'd be interesting to know whether these A330MRTTs will be boom-equipped...

I see that the first FAF A330MRTT 'Phènix' flew on 7th Sep, so the programme is going pretty well, it seems.

MPS still doesn't work though... :rolleyes: Which means that the A310MRTT and CC-150T Polaris are the only tankers with fully-functioning, fit-for-purpose mission planning and management systems. The A310MRTT now has the 4th generation of MCS software, which has been enthusiastically received.

Meanwhile, progress with the KC-46A Pigosaurus seems to be running into yet further problems.

[bobward]

Air Tanker have leased several of the RAF Voyager fleet to the airlines. Why can't they use these to fill the NATO requirement, without the delay imposed by having to build a new set of airframes?

I know ours are probe and drogue fit, but that would certainly keep the Luftwaffe in AVGAS. Comments appreciated!

[BEagle]

I'm not aware of any Luftwaffe need for 'AVGAS'?

I understand that an offer was made to lease some ATr assets to NATO's MCCE - until the cost was stated. The RAF has no AAE assets of its own it pays in excess of £1M per day under the PFI scheme. Perhaps that might change if Comrade Corbychev ousts Mother Mayhem and nationalises all PFIs?

Current Luftwaffe AAR assets are heavily used and remarkably serviceable' enjoying an excellent multi-national reputation for their work. Whether they will also use the A400M in the AAR role is as yet uncertain.

[Martin the Martian]

Well, they have had one A400M delivered with underwing HDUs.

[ORAC]

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/european-cooperation-facing-down-tanker-shortfalls

European Cooperation Is Facing Down Tanker Shortfallshttps://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/595x335/image_78e2719f11ba51a5e6668563da22a2d48d667aaf.jpeg

The first of eight Multinational Multirole Tanker and Transport Fleet A330s arrived at Eindhoven Air Base on July 1.

The arrival of the first Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport for the Netherlands-led Multinational Multirole Tanker and Transport Fleet (MMF) has been hailed as transformative for Europe’s aerial refueling capability. But it arguably also marks a major step forward for Europe’s defense cooperation ambitions......

Its eight aircraft—potentially expandable to 11 if more nations join—will be shared by six European nations that have paid for a set number of annual flying hours. The Netherlands and Luxembourg were the first to take the plunge, signing up for 2,000 and 200 hr. a year, respectively. They were subsequently joined by Belgium, with 1,000 hr., Germany with 5,500, and the Czech Republic and Norway for 100 hr. each.

By purchasing hours rather than platforms, small countries that are unable to afford a tanker can still gain access to one, and the single fleet slims down the number of different tankers being used by the various nations. With the arrival of the MRTT, the Netherlands will retire its aging refueling-boom-only McDonnell Douglas KDC-10s, and Germany will phase out its hose-drogue-only Airbus A310 MRTTs......

Five of the aircraft will be based at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands, while three more will be located at a forward operating base in Cologne, Germany.....

The MMU is expected to begin flying its first operational missions on behalf of the member states starting in September and will be tasked with aerial refueling, strategic transport and aeromedical evacuation flights. The unit’s second aircraft will arrive by the end of this month, while the third and fourth aircraft are undergoing conversion by Airbus at its Getafe facility near Madrid.

The program may also break ground to be the first MRTT user to be equipped with a detachable refueling boom that is being developed by Airbus as part of a contract amendment. Usually, the refueling boom would be a permanent fixture, but the amendment calls for the ability to remove the boom to save weight and fuel when flying nonaerial refueling missions.

[Imagegear]

NATO Tanking assets? this might offer greater tanking capacity to the US military through the backdoor. side-lining Bubba and Trump.

IG