The Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Programme of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), in close cooperation with the MRTT Unit (MMU), successfully concluded the Critical Design Review (CDR) of the first Full Motion Aerodrome Reporting Officer (ARO) Station (FMAS).
NSPA initiated a programme to provide a training capability to the MMU crewmembers in the vicinity of the Main Operating Base (MOB) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, with a Ready for Training date on 1 January 2028. The scope of the project includes the delivery of a Military Approved Training Organisation, a Flight Simulation Training Devices Organisation, a training facility and respective training devices.
One of these, the Full Motion ARO Station (FMAS), is the first full motion aerial refuel operator simulator for the A330 MRTT fleet, which will include a new and improved visual system. The objective of this new design is to transfer a significant part of ARO training from the aircraft to the simulator, which is able to replicate (and account as) real flight time. This transition will save flight hours and decrease the reliability on the availability of ‘real time’ receivers for training purposes.
The FMAS will significantly improve the reliability of the ARO training, resulting in a more efficient and effective learning process that delivers and guarantees more qualified flight crew in a shorter time.
Mr Bart Hummel, NSPA MRTT Project Manager
The MMF stands out as a unique example of effective cooperation between NATO and the European Union in delivering critical capabilities.
This multinational initiative is based on a pooling and sharing concept, laid down in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in which the participating nations pool the aircraft and share costs. This enables Allies to benefit from commonality, interoperability and economies of scale.
The fleet is owned by NATO and managed by NSPA, which provides support to participating nations through its MRTT Fleet Support Partnership.
The fleet is operated by the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit (MMU), comprising of military personnel from the participating countries. The unit is based at the Main Operating Base (MOB) in Eindhoven (the Netherlands) and the Forward Operating Base (FOB+) in Cologne (Germany).
Story by NATO Support and Procurement Agency
