NATO’s pooled fleet of MRTTs kicks off with 2 aircraft

Netherlands has bought two Airbus A330 MRTT aerial refueling tankers in partnership with Luxembourg. The aircraft will eventually form a pooled fleet to support NATO operations.

KC-30 A39-002 refuelling an USAF F-16 in 2015
By U.S. Air Force photo by Christian Turner [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The contract with Airbus was signed on Holland’s behalf by OCCAR, the European agency which manages multinational weapons procurement.

The two aircraft, meant to replace two Dutch KDC-10s, will be inducted into service after 2020.