As part of the efforts to integrate aerial refueling capability into the French-German KC-130J squadron, a German aircraft managed to refuel a group of Eurofighters belonging to the German Air Force for the first time, an event that took place last week. This milestone occurred during operations carried out in the skies over the German city of Neubrandenburg, involving a maneuver performed at an altitude of up to 6,000 meters and at estimated speeds of 440 kilometers per hour.
According to the institution itself, the refueling maneuvers were conducted with a total of six fighters, which received nearly seven tons of fuel. It was also indicated that the activities included the participation of French observers, who familiarized themselves with the procedures and provided their evaluation. This point is noteworthy, as the French Air and Space Force conducted its own refueling maneuvers using Mirage 2000 fighters and KC-130J aircraft in October, carrying out up to four test flights to validate this capability.
Further details indicate that the KC-130J involved in the event is part of the so-called French-German Binational Air Transport Squadron (BATS), based at Évreux-Fauville Air Base in France. The unit currently consists of a fleet of six German aircraft, complemented by four French aircraft, split evenly between KC-130J and C-130J-30 models. Established in 2021, the squadron became the first binational unit to operate these platforms, conducting combined training missions since 2024.
It is worth recalling that the creation of BATS resulted from planning carried out in 2016 by strategists from the French Air Force and the Luftwaffe, intended to address a study indicating a capability gap expected to arise following the eventual retirement of the aging C-160 Transall tanker aircraft. As outlined at the time, a platform capable of supporting logistical and air transport missions was required, including support for special operations.
By April 2024, Berlin had completed its fleet of three KC-130J aircraft, which were sent to BATS along with the three remaining C-130J-30s, making up the six aircraft contributed by the Luftwaffe. For its part, Paris assembled its fleet of two aircraft of each variant between 2018 and 2020, basing them at Orléans-Bricy until their integration with their German counterparts.
Finally, it is important to highlight that both the German Air Force and the French Air and Space Force do not rely solely on these platforms to carry out aerial refueling of their combat aircraft. Both countries operate a significant number of A-400M Atlas aircraft, totaling an estimated 70 aircraft combined. Additionally, France maintains a dozen Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft operational. Both platforms are compatible with the Eurofighter and Rafale, the backbone of the fighter aviation fleets of both forces.
*Image credits: Luftwaffe
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