For those not familiar with NATO and EU requiremen
Post# of 2306
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.
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A very apposite motto for those who trade successfully in the OTC market..
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