For those not familiar with NATO and EU requirements, the UK is the only significant air force in the world that has no shortfall in fulfilling its tanker requirements.

As those who have read all my authoritative posts will know, when the time came for the Royal Air Force to recapitalize the various disparate tanker fleets - most of which comprised aircraft re-roled from previous duties as military or civilian transports - the most efficient and cost effective solution was to have a civil / military private finance initiative solution.

The Airtanker contract for the provisions of the RAF's entire tanker fleet - jointly manned by military and civilian personnel - is worth GBP13 Billion ($26 Billion at the then exchange rate) over 27 years !

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view...tract.html

http://www.airtanker.co.uk/

Most of the other NATO and EU air forces only have a one or two squadron size deployable force element of fast jets and so - whilst requiring air-to-air refueling - cannot justify owning their own tankers. This is what drove the initiative to have a Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport Fleet.

Notwithstanding this multinational fleet - as it will never be big enough - there will always be opportunities for contractors to provide ad hoc services such as:

- Deploying NATO air force elements to the large-scale Exercise RED FLAG at Nellis AFB, NV multiple times a year (mixed tanker / transport role - with pallets of spares and groundcrew - the ex-RAF Tristar fleet is particularly suitable for this).

- Supporting USMC F-35Bs to deploy onto the UK F-35B specific aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales prior to operational deployments.

- Supporting exercises in Europe and the Middle East.

- Delivery of US manufactured aircraft to Europe and the Middle East air forces.

- Supporting tanker trials of new aircraft and drone types.