State Partnership Program

Video by Petty Officer 1st Class William Dodge

First multi-role tanker transport aircraft arrives at Eindhoven (SOUNDBITES)

Natochannel

June 30, 2020 | 4:14

The first Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft procured by NATO and the European Defence Agency (EDA) arrived at its main operating base in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, on Tuesday, 30 June 2020. The aircraft is part of the Multinational Multirole Tanker and Transport Fleet (MMF), which will boost participating Allies’ ability to quickly respond to emergencies in multiple domains, including medical evacuation. The fleet consists of eight Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft, which will be delivered between 2020 and 2024, and is managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). It provides Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway with strategic tanker and transport capabilities. This project will substantially increase European capacity in air-to-air refuelling, and is an example of effective cooperation between NATO and the European Union in the delivery of critical defence capabilities. Sharing resources enables participating nations to get access to state-of-the-art capabilities that would be difficult or impossible to procure individually.
Footage includes soundbites from NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment Camille Grand, as well as from Commander of the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transporter Unit Jurgen van der Biezen, Dion Polman from European Defence Agency (EDA), Jan der Kinderen, MMF Project Manager at NSPA, Major Volker Vogel, Chief of National Support Element Germany, and Phillippe Bourlard, OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) Programme Manager for MMF.