European Union nations are being urged to establish a pooled air-to-air refuelling capability, after a study last year concluded that a critical shortfall exists among partner air forces.
The European Defence Agency conducted a study from 2005 into the possible formation of a tanker unit via a private finance initiative, public/private partnership or joint venture agreement, says Belgian air force Lt Col Laurent Donnet, project officer in deployability. "We got no interest from the nations in 2007," he adds.
The EDA gave a fresh presentation to national representatives in March 2009, including input from commercial refuelling service provider Omega Air, and a follow-on meeting was staged last November. This drew involvement from the multinational Movement Coordination Centre Europe (MCCE) organisation, the US Naval Air Systems Command and UK company Qinetiq.
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© Omega Air |
An Omega Air KDC-10 supported a Royal Air Force Tornado deployment to the USA in 2008 |
Donnet says the meeting resulted in "possible interest from the nations," but notes: "There was no clear commitment." However, feedback provided during December suggests that a niche could exist for a commercial supplier to provide "assured access" AAR services under some circumstances, for example while supporting international training deployments.
The EDA will on 10 February again raise the issue of a Commercial AAR Interim Solution (CAARIS) project with its 26 EU member states.
"We will put forward a clear action plan and propose a solution for CAARIS," Donnet said during IQPC's Air Tankers and Aerial Refuelling conference in London on 25 January. "We are looking for the nations to go ahead with a trial, and to set up a group to discuss a follow-up. Hopefully they will give us a mandate to research the AAR shortfall in more detail."
Donnet believes some EU nations could eventually back the formation of a structure similar to the Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft-equipped NATO Early Warning and Control Force. This could initially be equipped with "five or six multirole tanker/transports".
MCCE director Col Freek van der Vaart told the same conference that 18 of his organisation's 21 signatory nations have a requirement to conduct operations with AAR assets, but "only nine have tankers".
Additional benefits of a CAARIS service could include the provision of support during national certification activities for tanker derivatives of commercial aircraft, Donnet says, using the UK's Airbus A330-200-based Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft as an example.
Source: Flight International
