PARIS — Denmark has announced plans to join a European pool of air-to-air refueling tankers, contemplating the acquisition of two Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) refueling aircraft. The estimated cost for Danish participation in this joint capacity is approximately 7.4 billion Danish kroner ($1.1 billion) over the period from 2025 to 2033.
Danish Chief of Defence Gen. Michael Hyldgaard advocated for Denmark to become a partner in the six-nation Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet. This partnership is expected to begin with the purchase of flight hours for air refueling, followed by negotiations to acquire a stake in the pool that equates to two refueling aircraft. This information was released by the Ministry of Defence on March 25.
The requirement for aerial refueling capabilities has been highlighted as critical for defense, especially as Europe increasingly relies on U.S. capacities, a situation considered risky with the U.S. government’s disengagement from the region. The implications are particularly significant for Denmark, especially in light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s past threats concerning the annexation of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
Currently, the Danish air force operates F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. The introduction of tanker capacity is anticipated to enhance Denmark’s air defense and bolster its military capabilities, fitting national operational needs, as articulated by Danish Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen. He emphasized the importance of air refueling capacity for conducting operations in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.
In February, the Danish government approved an additional allocation of 50 billion kroner for defense over the next two years, with defense spending expected to exceed 3% of GDP in 2025 and 2026.
The multinational tanker fleet includes nine MRTT aircraft owned and managed by NATO. This fleet pools resources from the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Norway, Belgium, and Czechia, with one additional tanker on order for delivery in 2026.
Poulsen noted the promising potential for Nordic cooperation in air refueling capabilities. The fleet is operated from Eindhoven in the Netherlands, with aircraft also stationed in Cologne, Germany, which are approximately 460 kilometers southwest of the Danish border. The vision for this joint tanker fleet was first proposed in 2012, initiated by the European Defence Agency to address longstanding deficiencies in European air-to-air refueling capacity.
The Airbus A330 MRTT is versatile, capable of carrying 110 metric tons of kerosene for refueling and accommodating a maximum payload of 45 tons for transporting passengers or cargo. The aircraft can refuel various military aircraft types through both a boom system and a probe and drogue system.
Germany leads in the usage of the joint tanker fleet in terms of flight hours, followed by Belgium and the Netherlands. The acquisition of the fleet began in 2016 when the Netherlands and Luxembourg jointly purchased two A330 MRTTs. Additional aircraft were ordered in subsequent years as Germany, Norway, Belgium, and Czechia joined the project.
Apart from the six-nation pool, other European operators of the A330 MRTT include France, which has a fleet of 12 aircraft with an additional three on order, along with the U.K., which operates 14 tankers, according to Airbus data from February.
Furthermore, Denmark’s chief of defense is proposing an investment of around 4.7 billion kroner during the 2025-2033 period to expedite the enhancement of the Army’s 1st Brigade into a heavy brigade, establishing new infantry companies, a tactical drone section, a mechanical engineering company, and procuring off-road trucks.
Additionally, Denmark announced the establishment of an air-defense wing at the Flyvestation Skalstrup military facility ahead of plans to acquire ground-based air defenses. The country decommissioned its air defense units operating Hawk missile systems in 2005.
The Danish government is actively seeking an interim air-defense solution, which aims to be delivered as early as this year or next year, while also planning to select a permanent solution system by the end of 2025.
Denmark has shortlisted the French-Italian SAMP/T and the U.S. Patriot system as part of its planned purchase of air defense systems to address high-end threat capabilities, while several other systems are in the running for lower-tier threats.
