The United Kingdom has joined six NATO allies in launching a new multinational project to establish a pooled fleet of Airbus A400M transport aircraft, modelled on the alliance’s shared tanker force, NATO has announced.
The initiative, launched at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara on Tuesday as a High Visibility Project, brings together Belgium, Croatia, France, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the UK.
According to the alliance, it will follow the pooling and sharing concept pioneered by the Multinational MRTT Fleet, under which participating countries pool aircraft and share costs to benefit from economies of scale, with the project also allowing allies to cooperate in areas such as joint procurement, logistical support and training.
NATO said the A400M gives the alliance and allied forces much greater operational flexibility, allowing the movement of military assets across the alliance in peace, crisis and conflict, with a high payload and long range enabling it to access locations that many larger aircraft cannot reach. The announcement did not specify whether the project will involve the acquisition of new aircraft, the pooling of existing national fleets, or both, nor the number of aircraft envisaged, though.
All seven participants except Croatia already operate or have ordered the A400M, with the RAF flying its fleet of 22 Atlas aircraft from Brize Norton on tasks ranging from tactical airlift into austere strips to the air bridge to the Falklands, and the type has progressively taken on the load carried by the retired C-130 Hercules. A pooled arrangement following the MRTT model would give participants access to shared capacity beyond their national fleets while spreading the costs of support and training across the membership, and offers non-operators a route into the capability without buying aircraft outright.
The tanker fleet that provides the template also grew at the same event, with Finland joining the Multinational MRTT Fleet as its ninth member alongside Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The nine members announced the imminent delivery of the fleet’s tenth Airbus A330 MRTT, bringing the force closer to its full strength of 12 aircraft since the first was delivered in 2020.
The MMF provides its members with air-to-air refuelling, strategic transport and medical evacuation capacity drawn from the common pool, and NATO described both fleets as delivering advanced multi-role performance, higher efficiency and greater interoperability in support of deterrence and defence.
“Retired RAF Hercules.”
Cut RAF Hercules, there was no reason why the type couldn’t have remained in service, beyond financial.
It remains elsewhere as a perfectly good aircraft.
Good idea. Hopefully it doesn’t lead to force reductions, but to be fair, the similar programme with Norway for frigate has not led to force reductions.
This is a slippery slope. The confirmation that the UK is a second rate junior power in Europe.
What…
That was my initial thought as well.
Then one notes that France, Poland, Turkey are also in the group, none of which I’d describe in those terms.
Again these announcements are vague on detail.
That is what bothers me especially when we have an administration who have published a long overdue 80 pg document that is thin on substance. The rush to scrap legacy platforms of which we have few and replace them with cheap autonomous platforms which by the way will turn out to be extremely expensive and haven’t been proven. £15 billion is a commitment, the money has to be found and it is not enough.
My fear is the 22 A400s will end up in the pool the C17s offloaded, simply because its saving the exchequer money.
Agreed.
Lunacy to lose the C17s.
There’s no plan to lose the C17s.
Morning.
Yes, I read that they were name checked in the DIP going forward.
However, I’ve read suggestions elsewhere ( and had rumours before here, hopefully groundless, but you never can tell with posters here ) so such makes me nervous.
A key niche capability we’d be insane to lose, especially after cutting Hecules.
“ I’ve read suggestions elsewhere ( and had rumours before here”
🤦🏻♂️
Yep, keep that head slapping going, we don’t all conform to your own way of thinking.
I know you despise SM but I follow plenty of current and ex military feeds, some of which do pick up on stuff before it’s officially announced. That’s regards all sorts, not just the future of the C17s.
As said, hopefully nothing in it.
Jesus, it’s called “face palm” – its hard to believe you’re younger than me at times…
Yes I know you like to believe unattributed rage-bait gossip spread on SM to generate clicks. You certainly fall for it on a regular basis. Which also explains why you support grifters like Farage.
“Jesus.”
Ouch!
Like I said, we’re not here to conform to how Spock thinks.
I used the wrong term, oh dear, never mind.
You might call people out on all sorts, but who cares?
You remind me of a chap who once posted here called Sean, he was so aggressive in his style of posting that he was thoroughly disliked by most and ended up getting banned by George.
You mentioned rage bait on SM, again, you’re ignoring the official channels I’ve mentioned before. Sure, there’s wako’s there, they can be ignored? There’s also plenty of good info.
You told me once I was “well informed” well, that’s just another source.
I’ll ignore the unneccessary snipes and age comments in the rest of your comment, I like to remain civil. 👍
Your fears are drug induced fear-mongering. Maybe you should try going into rehab.
Grow up you petulant ork and go and play with the cat shit in the sandpit.
Cat shit would be a step up in the evolution scale from you.
What with this heatwave it must be hot in your bedroom. Tell me, how do trolls cope in this heat?
Turn up the air-con in my office. 🤷🏻♂️
How do you cope in the cardboard box you live-in? Or has a charity donated a tent?
Not very original with the aspersions you spout on this forum are you.
Are you generally jealous of the human race?
Judging by your general behaviour it would seem you missed a branch or 2 on the evolutionary tree of life, something that produces the smell of rotten eggs!
That’s you isn’t it.
Twat
Bye tumbleweed.
💩 for 🧠
There is nothing like triggering a cockwomble.
🥱
What sovereign capability we have is fast disappearing.
If you can’t be bothered to engage in a discussion , pipe down and stop being a child.
Another hilarious scaremongering comment with no basis in reality from one of the resident liars.
Maybe he just has a vested interest?
He was ex RAF VC10 crew, so I’d not throw the liar accusation?
Let me do what you do….
🤦♂️
😆😉
Unless of course, he’s lying about being ex RAF crew!
Who knows.
🤷♂️ooooh, these are fun, not used them before.
They’re only been around 25 years…
Are you Jacob Rees-Mogg, Conservative MP for the 18th Century? 😉
Mate….! Lol, you don’t know me of course, but if you did, it’d come as no surprise to you. Have they been around that long?!
I don’t need little emojis in my life, so never used them in texting or on WhatsApp.
Lol, Mogg! Met him at a Brexit demo outside Parliament, not seen that doc on him, reputation as a bit of a fossil?
Like me, I doubt he cares? 🤷♂️
Why would I lie? I may as well go the whole hog and say I was ex fast jet.
I spent 25 years in uniform and was whitnes to some very stupid decisions, all to save money at any cost. That last lone came from the top brass at a meeting I attended at Lyneham. Decisions that have eroded the transport and tanker fleet, Decisions and choices that are still being felt today.
I know, Mark.
No reason to think you weren’t.
Respect.
I recall you were VC10, so fast jet too.
Good stuff.
Closure of RAF Lyneham.
Cutting the 14 Hercs, though I understand one RAF AVM fought hard to save them.
Losing heavy pallett drop capability.
30 plus Tankers replaced by 14, but 9 in reality as the others are outsourced trashing airframe hours.
No Boom so no ability to refuel C17, P8, E7, RC135.
PFI so paying through the nose to keep the upfront costs off Brown’s books.
What have I missed!?
So because he once flew airliners for the RAF he’d never tell a porkie…
assuming that’s not a porkie in the first place.
Well, yes, who knows with people here.
I keep an open mind, and happy to accept people as they are, don’t see the need to be a Walter mitty or lie about stuff.
Amazing how one offhand comment about the C17s can cause such a debate.
What sovereign capability is disappearing?
We’re the 3rd largest A400 operator and the largest European C-17 operator. We have 3 fewer A400s than we had C-130s, which is an overall increase in airlift capacity – an A400 can carry almost twice as much (17 tonnes more) as a C-130J-30
Nowhere does this announcement say we’re reducing the number of A400s, and as long as they’re ours we get first dibs on using them.
You seriously know me than everyone else.
The only person triggered around is yourself. Pretty obvious you’re unemployed and depend on this forum to have any sense of self-worth.
Mr centre of attention strikes again.
There’s a clinical name for people like you.
You’re right, “exceptionally gifted”.
There’s one for you too, “socially isolated”
Mr centre of attention strikes again.
There’s a clinical name for people like you.
Look it up.
“socially inept” would also be appropriate for you
And it’s back in the room.
A bit style over substance.
I’d rather we were able to actually defend ourselves rather than just stroking our egos with a dwindling set of disjointed boutique capabilities.
That certainly looks like the way it’s going.
I can see how tasking of UK A400M could be shared with NATO but I had understood that following the selling off the C130’s the UK didn’t have sufficient airframes for its own requirements so carringout NATO tasking could only be done at the expense of UK tasks. Who decided priority?
Alternatively, maybe the UK will buy-in to a further batch of new A400M’s as part of a joint NATO procurement perhaps the cheapest way of expanding UK airlift capability. There were roumers that the Germans wanted to sell off some of their A400Ms having bought a large number originally to keep the unit costs down.
Like many Government announcements they always lack precision and details leading to a whole lot of speculation and possibly giving the politicians rooom for reinterpretation at a later date.
Like most of the DIP and the SDR before it.
Yes, I think the obtaining more a400m was in the street.
A400 availability has increased considerably. The RAF has been able to add additional tasking lines.
Again these announcements are vague on detail.
That is what bothers me especially when we have an administration who have published a long overdue 80 pg document that is thin on substance. The rush to scrap legacy platforms of which we have few and replace them with cheap autonomous platforms which by the way will turn out to be extremely expensive and haven’t been proven. £15 billion is a commitment, the money has to be found and it is not enough.
My fear is the 22 A400s will end up in the pool the C17s offloaded, simply because its saving the exchequer money.
Hopefully not, Mark.
No sign of the extra Atlas in the DIP, assume HMG will spin that they’re not necessary now we make greater use of other nations assets.
Err the entire idea of pooling is that you get access to more aircraft than you own 🤦🏻♂️
Its all very well going on about pooled resources but thst gives other nations a veto over use of heavy lift aircraft. The UK has multiple interests outside of NATO. We would have to ask the French or Spanish to use aircraft to reinforce Belize or the Falklands
Not really how that works – the UK retains the ability to simply use its own transports as it sees fit, as do every other nation in the group.
In which case, there is no problem with this.
As long as politicians don’t use it as an excuse to cut, which they no doubt will.
Pooling of resources means thst airframes are centrally held and come out of maintenance and then sent to the respective airforces. There’s no longer sovereign held aircraft available at will. Availability is entirely collective, the UK cannot pull aircraft out of the cycle without permission.
Completely and utterly wrong 🤣
The whole point is tol reduce maintenance cost by have a single facility rather than each airforce having their own. There’s a reason why its called pooling
Wrong. Idiot.
You seem to have more detail than was announced.
“but thst gives other nations a veto over use of heavy lift aircraft”
No it doesn’t 🤦🏻♂️
No matter how many armchair experts spout nonsense, its doesn’t change facts you don’t like
True, but I doubt you have an armchair.
More likely you’re sat in a cardboard box under a bridge somewhere.
🤣
Something tells me we’ll not benefit much from this, since we will most likely provide the bulk of the aircraft anyway
In these pooled arrangements, the benefit is linked to the level of contribution. The more funding a country commits, the greater its share of the capability, through allocated flying hours or access.
Edit: I’ve just read the article (should always do that first 😬). I thought this was a purchase of additional A400Ms, but it’s actually a pooling arrangement around existing capability. So my earlier comparison to buying into a new fleet was not quite right.
Outside Sunrays office in an hour. 🤨
🤣
Don’t worry I’m not going to be a dick about it, do I look like Spock 😉
👍🤣
The argument is retaining sovereign capability. NATO members have aways shared assets especially transports that is nothing new.
Yes, I know. As stated above, I initially thought this was a purchase of additional A400Ms to be pooled, rather than a framework for sharing existing capability. That changes the context quite a bit.
“we will most likely provide the bulk of the aircraft”
Why come out with tripe like this without bothering to check the facts first?
🇬🇧 22
🇧🇪 7
🇫🇷 50
🇪🇸 27
🇹🇷 10
(Proposal for 🇵🇱 to acquire 10 to 14)
Oh the third world loving Labour bootlicker is back.
Is that you Jim? Come on be honest 🥺
Clunker, gets his facts wrong, jumps to stupid conclusions, and resorts to insults because he’s too insecure to admit when he’s wrong.
You are missing the point. Are you saying you privy to detail than what has been publicly announced?
If so spill the beans or pipe down comrade.
Well comrade* maybe if you bothered to read many public sources of information, rather than just UKDJ, you might be better informed on the subject.
* wow I never expected to come across a communist in the 21st century, guess like bell-bottom trousers you were bound to come-back into fashion
Does this mean we will have access to other countries’ palletised AAR kit? Could be quite handy if so and France have talked a lot about expanding A400’s frontline capabilities.
Does this make it easier to afford an increase in RAF numbers?
Potentially.
No commitment and no detail.
This is the way to go, logistical capabilities are key and are easier to share than weapons.
Bit of a perverse incentive waiting to pounce in this one if left unaddressed.
During a war this will allow them to be used to their fullest extent.
But in peace time there’ll be an airlift glut which could allow individual countries to cut their fleet without immediate consequences.
An excuse for the UK not buying additiional A400’s as originally planned.
Yes that is what it amounts to.
Why would I lie? I may as well go the whole hog and say I was ex fast jet.
I spent 25 years in uniform and was whitness to some very stupid decisions, all to save money at any cost. That last line came from the top brass at a meeting I attended at Lyneham. Decisions that have eroded the transport and tanker fleet, Decisions and choices that are still being felt today.