NATO Announces Procurement of Aircraft For Defence Fleet

NATO is increasing its defence measures with its tenth Airbus A330 MRTT strategic tanker aircraft.

The announcement of the new aircraft was made during NATO’s Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye where leaders from around the world gathered to discuss ways to strengthen the organisation’s presence in defence airlift capabilities.

NATO’s aircraft procurement 

The Airbus A330 MRTT is a highly versatile tanker aircraft equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, refined wing aerodynamics, an extended wingspan and advanced blended wingtip devices. It can carry a maximum payload of up to 45 tonnes, which includes a cargo capacity of up to 37 tonnes. 

This multi-role platform is engineered to support air-to-air refuelling (AAR), VIP transport, passenger and cargo transit, as well as aeromedical evacuation missions.

Acquiring the Airbus A330 MRTT is a key milestone for NATO, marking a major advancement in deploying state-of-the-art military aircraft. Operated by the Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet, this platform is part of a collaborative effort to procure and manage these specialised tankers. 

The nine member nations, which include Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, also announced the new acquisition, which brings the cooperative fleet near to its target of 12 operational aircrafts.

Additional procurements

The summit also saw announcements for a new multinational High Visibility Project for Airbus A400M aircraft, the acquisition of Northrop Grumman Triton drones for maritime surveillance and joint procurement of Saab GlobalEye aircraft to modernise airborne early warning and control.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte explains the new procurement: “Several Allies are officially announcing the forthcoming delivery of the tenth Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft to the Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet. This is bringing us one step closer to the full MRTT fleet of 12 aircraft.

“Allies are also launching a new multinational project focused on the Airbus A400M. This is world-class strategic airlift capability. The A330 MRTT and the A400M will provide the Alliance with two highly capable, multinational fleets. 

"This first “Made in NATO” announcement is an excellent example, I believe, of multinational cooperation in action. The Airbus platforms are built on strong European industrial leadership, close NATO-EU cooperation, and with contributions from US industry partners. They keep NATO’s air power strong, credible and ready for decades to come.”

UK defence and NATO connection

In 2025, the UK defence industry called for a collaboration with NATO to minimise duplication, consolidate defence acquisitions and implement economies of scale across member nations which would improve cost efficiency.

Andrew Kinniburgh, Director General of Make UK Defence, outlines the benefits of the NATO partnership: “The UK MOD alone is spending £50m (US$64.7m) a year outsourcing fast jet pilot training because there’s no availability of Hawk jets at RAF Valley. We’re sending dozens of pilots to the US, Italy and elsewhere,

“A UK company, Aeralis, has developed an advanced jet trainer. NATO could step in and say, ‘We are going to provide a NATO-wide resource for fast jet training, using the same jet across multiple nations.’ The RAF and other countries wouldn’t need to own them; they could just contract for availability.”