The Kingdom joins NATO cooperation on aerial refueling aircraft so that Danish fighter jets can be quickly moved to Greenland
The Danish Defense Ministry sent three F-16 fighter jets to Kangerlussuaq on Tuesday – and there are many indications that Danish fighter jets could quickly become the new normal in Greenland.
The Danish Defense
On the same day, it was announced that Denmark, together with Sweden, is joining NATO’s MMF cooperation, which currently operates a fleet of 10 so-called multirole aerial refueling aircraft from bases in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Cologne in Germany.
The Danish Defense Ministry sent three F-16 fighter jets to Kangerlussuaq on Tuesday – and there are many indications that Danish fighter jets could quickly become the new normal in Greenland.
The Danish DefenseAnnouncement
On the same day, it was announced that Denmark, together with Sweden, is joining NATO’s MMF cooperation, which currently operates a fleet of 10 so-called multirole aerial refueling aircraft from bases in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Cologne in Germany.
With the expansion of the collaboration, the fleet of aerial refueling aircraft will be expanded to 12. The plan is for the two new aircraft to be stationed in Denmark. It has not yet been decided where this will happen, but Aalborg Air Force Station, which is already the base for the Air Transport Wing, is a good option.
Significantly increases range
The new aerial refueling aircraft significantly extend the range of Danish fighter jets, allowing them to be quickly moved to Greenland in a crisis situation. The Danish F-16 aircraft have a normal range of 900 km, and the new F-35 aircraft have a range of 2,200 km.
The three F-16s that arrived in Kangerlussuaq on Tuesday were therefore accompanied by a French aerial refueling aircraft, so that they could fly non-stop on the 3,300-mile flight. The French aircraft is a military version of the Airbus A330-200, which we know here from Air Greenland’s former transatlantic aircraft Norsaq.
New aircraft
At the same time that Denmark and Sweden joined the MMF cooperation, an agreement was signed with Airbus to deliver the two new aerial refueling aircraft, which can do much more than transport fuel for fighter jets. The idea behind the multirole cooperation is that the aircraft can also be used for, for example, troop transport, VIP flights and patient evacuation.
The two new aircraft that the NATO countries are acquiring are of the A330 MRTT type, which is based on the civilian Airbus A330-800 neo, which most people in Greenland are well familiar with from Air Greenland’s Tuukkaq.
– With Denmark’s inclusion in the MMF program and the acquisition of two additional A330 MRTT aircraft, this marks a significant strengthening of our ability to conduct air operations in Northern Europe, the High North and the Arctic, says Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen.
With the current expansion of the MMF cooperation, it includes, in addition to Denmark and Sweden, also Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway.
The Danish Defense Ministry sent three F-16 fighter jets to Kangerlussuaq on Tuesday – and there are many indications that Danish fighter jets could quickly become the new normal in Greenland.
The Danish Defense
On the same day, it was announced that Denmark, together with Sweden, is joining NATO’s MMF cooperation, which currently operates a fleet of 10 so-called multirole aerial refueling aircraft from bases in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Cologne in Germany.
The Danish Defense Ministry sent three F-16 fighter jets to Kangerlussuaq on Tuesday – and there are many indications that Danish fighter jets could quickly become the new normal in Greenland.
The Danish DefenseAnnouncement
On the same day, it was announced that Denmark, together with Sweden, is joining NATO’s MMF cooperation, which currently operates a fleet of 10 so-called multirole aerial refueling aircraft from bases in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Cologne in Germany.
With the expansion of the collaboration, the fleet of aerial refueling aircraft will be expanded to 12. The plan is for the two new aircraft to be stationed in Denmark. It has not yet been decided where this will happen, but Aalborg Air Force Station, which is already the base for the Air Transport Wing, is a good option.
Significantly increases range
The new aerial refueling aircraft significantly extend the range of Danish fighter jets, allowing them to be quickly moved to Greenland in a crisis situation. The Danish F-16 aircraft have a normal range of 900 km, and the new F-35 aircraft have a range of 2,200 km.
The three F-16s that arrived in Kangerlussuaq on Tuesday were therefore accompanied by a French aerial refueling aircraft, so that they could fly non-stop on the 3,300-mile flight. The French aircraft is a military version of the Airbus A330-200, which we know here from Air Greenland’s former transatlantic aircraft Norsaq.
New aircraft
At the same time that Denmark and Sweden joined the MMF cooperation, an agreement was signed with Airbus to deliver the two new aerial refueling aircraft, which can do much more than transport fuel for fighter jets. The idea behind the multirole cooperation is that the aircraft can also be used for, for example, troop transport, VIP flights and patient evacuation.
The two new aircraft that the NATO countries are acquiring are of the A330 MRTT type, which is based on the civilian Airbus A330-800 neo, which most people in Greenland are well familiar with from Air Greenland’s Tuukkaq.
– With Denmark’s inclusion in the MMF program and the acquisition of two additional A330 MRTT aircraft, this marks a significant strengthening of our ability to conduct air operations in Northern Europe, the High North and the Arctic, says Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen.
With the current expansion of the MMF cooperation, it includes, in addition to Denmark and Sweden, also Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway.