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Oct 22 2021

The Multinational MRTT Unit participates in Exercise EART 2021

LUXEMBOURG - From 15 to 25 October, the Multinational MRTT Unit (MMU) is participating in exercise EART 2021 alongside with NATO Allies France and Spain. The European Air Transport Command (EATC) leads the exercise at Lanzarote Air Base (Spain), organised in combination with the Spanish fighter exercise Ocean Sky, operating from Gando Air Base in Gran Canaria.

The A330 MRTT departed from its Forward Operating Base in Cologne directed via Eindhoven to Lanzarote on 15 October. A total of 32 MMU members participate in the exercise, including pilots, Air-to-Air Refuelling Operators, cabin attendants and maintenance personnel. The crew is using the deployment to continue training, taking advantage of the various missions that the unit will perform during the days of the exercise.

MRTT flying alongside a Spanish F-18

The first MMU exercise deployment provides us with the unique opportunity to validate our deployment procedures, exchange our experiences with our air-to-air refuelling partners and foster multinational cooperation. This deployment marks the achievement of yet another milestone for the MMF programme on its way to IOC and I am proud of my team for the hard work to make this possible.

Lieutenant Colonel Christian Körnig, MMU Detachment Commander during EART 21

The MMU crews took the opportunity to continue their intensive training during the exercise.

The Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) provides strategic transport, air-to-air refuelling and medical evacuation capabilities to its six participating nations (Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Norway). The aircraft are owned by NATO and managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) with the support of the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) on the acquisition phase until the end of 2022. The Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit operates the fleet.