The fifth Airbus A330 MRTT registered in the Netherlands landed at Eindhoven Air Base on 31 August. Six European countries have jointly ordered nine of these aircraft. Of the nine A330s, five have Eindhoven AB (NL) as their Main Operating Base (MOB), the other four go to Cologne AB (DE) as Forward Operating Base (FOB). The aircraft are owned by six countries: Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the Czech Republic and are operated by the Multinational MRTT Unit (MMU) consortium. They should all be delivered by 2024. Initially 8 were ordered and in 2020 Luxembourg contributed for the 9th A330 MRTT aircraft. The A330 MRTT can accommodate 267 passengers and 45 tons of cargo. In addition, the aircraft can be converted in a short time into a flying infirmary with 6 intensive care units and 16 stretchers for the transport of wounded from a war or mission area. The Netherlands is allowed to use the A330s for a total of 2,000 hours per year. Germany is a major user with 5,500 hours, Belgium has 1,000 hours available. The A330 MRTT will replace the KDC- 10 fleet of the Dutch Air Force.
Text and photos: Joris van Boven and Alex van Noije
