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GEILENKIRCHEN, Germany - The NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&CF) Office of Legal Affairs finalised negotiations on behalf of SHAPE with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for additional air-to-air refuelling (AAR) and transportation support for the NATO AWACS at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, January 30, 2025.

Starting as soon as this year, the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit (MMU), primarily based out of Eindhoven, Netherlands, will be able to support NAEW&CF missions with their A330 Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, supporting flexible Allied air operations.

While the U.S. Air National Guard units fulfilling rotational deployments to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen will continue to provide a majority of the AAR training, the MMU will be joining a diverse cohort of partner nations who also provide AAR and transportation support depending on mission requirements.  

Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. Photo by Melanie Becker. 

The eighth A330 MRTT taxies at its new home base at Eindhoven Air Base, the Netherlands. Photo courtesy MMU.

In June, 2024, the MMU fleet received its eighth A330 MRTT aircraft out of a scheduled ten. These aircraft further enhance NATO’s operational capability and multinational flexibility by already providing support to Allied nations like Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Norway.

The Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) is owned by NATO and managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).