NATO launches multinational A400M strategic airlift fleet initiative

At the NATO summit defence industry forum in Ankara, Secretary‑General Mark Rutte announced the creation of a multinational strategic airlift fleet based on Airbus A400M transport aircraft. Seven NATO members – Belgium, Croatia, France, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom – will pool and share ownership, financing, maintenance, logistics and training for the aircraft, extending the alliance’s “pooling and sharing” model first used for the Multinational MRT T tanker fleet.

The initiative also adds a further A330 MRT T tanker to the existing nine‑aircraft pool, bringing the total to ten in the short term and targeting a fleet of 12 aircraft in the longer run. The shared fleet will be based at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands and Cologne‑Wahn Air Base in Germany, enhancing NATO’s ability to move troops and equipment during peacetime, crises and operations. Finland has formally joined the MRT T programme, raising its membership to nine countries, while the A400M project strengthens deterrence and defence capabilities across Europe.