The Czech Republic has joined NATO's MRTT project for the acquisition of new tanker aircraft. This group of NATO countries, initiated by the Netherlands and Luxembourg, is purchasing eight Airbus A330 tanker aircraft, which can be used by several countries. Starting next year, five of these will be stationed at Eindhoven Airport, and three near Cologne in Germany. Maintenance will be carried out in cooperation with France, which has its own tanker aircraft.
By joining forces, a group of European countries is reducing the shortage of tanker capacity. The ability to refuel aircraft in mid-air is scarce and essential. At the same time, it makes Europe less dependent on American planes, said Dutch Minister Ank Bijleveld (Defense).
The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, Norway, and the Czech Republic take turns using the A330s to refuel aircraft in the air and to transport troops and equipment. The Netherlands currently operates a few KDC-10 tanker aircraft. These will be phased out with the arrival of the A330s.
The NATO ministers also approved plans during their two-day meeting for new flight routes for military aircraft. From now on, even during peacetime, they will have priority over civilian air traffic when crossing European airspace due to some crisis.
Special corridors will be designated in the airspace that military aircraft can use exclusively and without interference from civilian planes. They will also receive a special call sign to identify themselves.
NATO has made arrangements on this with Eurocontrol, the EU organization responsible for air traffic control over Europe. According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, this will greatly enhance the deployment of troops and equipment during an acute crisis. Gaining a few hours in time can already make a huge difference.