TSAMTO, March 28. Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder signed a memorandum of understanding providing for the purchase of a second "Belgian" A-330 MRTT (Multirole Tanker Transport) for the EU/NATO multi-purpose tanker transport unit.
The event, held on March 23 at the air base in Eindhoven (Netherlands), was attended by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the defense ministers of the participating countries of the program.
During the ceremony, L. Dedonder confirmed that Belgium had invested 265 million euros in the purchase of a second "Belgian" tanker aircraft and related equipment. This acquisition will increase the fleet of the EU/NATO multi-purpose tanker transports to 10 units by 2027. Currently, the multinational unit is armed with seven aircraft.
Since its creation in 2019 and the delivery of the first A-330 MRTT aircraft in the summer of 2020, the unit has participated in several peacekeeping and security operations, including the transportation of Afghan refugees to the Netherlands. Since the beginning of Russia's special operation on the territory of Ukraine, the aircraft raid has exceeded 1,500 hours during 500 flights to refuel NATO fighters. In the fall of 2023, the unit will be deployed to the Middle East to support operations against ISIS.
According to the plans, the unit will reach full readiness for combat use by the end of 2024.
As TSAMTO reported, the MRTT aircraft procurement project was initiated by the European Defense Agency (EDA) in 2012. In July 2016, the Ministries of Defense of the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed a memorandum of understanding providing for the joint purchase of A-330 MRTT within the framework of the program for the formation of a Multinational Fleet of EU/NATO MMF tanker transports (Multinational MRTT Fleet). An agreement was signed with Airbus Defense and Space, involving the supply of the first two aircraft, including options for the supply of additional A-330 MRTT after joining the project of other countries. In 2017, Germany and Norway joined the program.
At the end of December 2017, the Belgian government decided to allocate 258 million euros to participate in the project. The decision made it possible to increase the total number of ordered aircraft from 7 to 8 units. In February 2018, the Belgian Ministry of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding, according to which Brussels officially joined the program for the creation of a multinational multi-purpose fleet of tanker transports MMF.
In 2019, the Czech Republic joined the project. In September 2020, the Organization for Cooperation in the Field of Arms Procurement (OCCAR), on behalf of the NATO Support and Acquisition Agency (NSPA), signed a contract with Airbus for the supply of the 9th A-330.
The first, second and third A-330 MRTT aircraft were delivered to the customer in June, August and November 2020. The fourth was delivered in April 2021, the fifth in August 2021, the sixth and seventh in July 2022. Delivery of the eighth and ninth A-330 MRTT will be completed in 2024. NSPA expects other countries to join the program.
"Eindhoven" has been selected as the main air base where the A-330 MRTT unit will be located. In addition, they will be used from the air base in Cologne (Germany). Of the ten MMF aircraft, six will be based in Eindhoven and four in Cologne (one in the medical evacuation version). The unit is staffed by military personnel from six participating countries.