Command of the Multinational MRTT Unit was formally transferred from Colonel Ludger Bette of Germany to Colonel Evert Cuppens of Belgium during the ceremony. The milestone marks the full operational readiness of a fleet designed to deliver shared air mobility capabilities across participating countries.
The fleet, owned by NATO and managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, provides strategic air transport, air-to-air refuelling and medical evacuation capabilities. It serves Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden under a joint framework.
With Full Operating Capability now achieved, the unit can conduct the full spectrum of missions required by both national authorities and NATO, from home bases and during deployed operations. Nine aircraft are already in service, with a tenth expected in June 2026 and two additional aircraft scheduled for delivery in mid-2028 and early 2029.
The programme is regarded as a notable example of cooperation between NATO and the European Union in delivering shared defence capabilities. It operates under a pooling and sharing arrangement set out in a Memorandum of Understanding, allowing participating nations to jointly own the aircraft, share costs and benefit from economies of scale.
The fleet is operated by a multinational unit composed of military personnel from the participating countries. It is currently based at the main operating base in Eindhoven and a forward operating base in Cologne, with an additional forward base planned in Karup, Denmark, once the final aircraft are delivered.
