Airbus Defence and Space has signed a ten-year contract with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for a simulation and training package for the A330 Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF), including the provision of a Full Mission Simulator.
The contract, signed after an open tender, consists of several services packages with the main one being the Full Mission Simulator composed of a Full Flight Simulator, an Air-to-Air Refuelling Operation Station and an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Data Package.
The Full Flight Simulator, with CAE as the main subcontractor, and the Air-to-Air Refuelling Operation Station will be linked together to form a Full Mission Simulator that will replicate A330 MRTT flight and refuelling operations. This simulator will be located at the Air Mobility Training Center (AMTC) in Rijen, the Netherlands.
The OEM Data Package contains software and simulation data from Airbus systems, providing the simulator with the necessary elements to be certified according to Dutch Military Aviation Authorities.
Airbus will be responsible for the delivery and setup of these simulators during the first three years of the contract, followed by their maintenance and operation activities for the next two years after the Ready for Training phase. Additional services for the operation and training of pilots and air-to-air refuelling operators (AROs) may be added at any time for up to ten years.
The Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) stands out as a unique example of effective cooperation between NATO and the European Union in delivering critical capabilities. It is owned by NATO, managed by NPSA through a dedicated Support Partnership, and it includes Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic under a pooling and sharing concept, in which participating nations benefit from economies of scale. The MRTT fleet currently consists of eight of the ten aircraft ordered, with Eindhoven in the Netherlands as the main operating base and Cologne in Germany as the forward operating base. Since the start of the programme, MMF pilots and AROs have been trained at the International Training Centre (ITC) in Seville.
