Finland Joins Expanded MRTT Fleet as NATO Pushes Joint Procurement
Finland has become the newest member of NATO’s Multinational Multi‑Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet, increasing the number of participating countries to nine. The MRTT programme, which already includes Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, is set to receive its tenth Airbus A330 tanker in the coming months, bringing the fleet close to its full strength of twelve aircraft.
The addition of Finland reflects NATO’s broader strategy of deepening defence cooperation through shared procurement and joint capability development. At the recent defence industry forum in Ankara, alliance leaders announced a suite of new projects designed to enhance aerial refuelling, streamline logistics, and build a resilient anti‑drone shield across Europe.
Among the announced initiatives is a new in‑flight refuelling platform that will allow rapid transportation of military assets between theatres, with multiple member states collaborating on design, testing and fielding. The platform is expected to cut response times and improve the flexibility of NATO’s air operations.
In a parallel move, NATO unveiled a $40 billion investment plan for anti‑drone technologies over the next five years, targeting a five‑fold increase in trained drone operators by the end of 2027. The alliance will also set up a dedicated anti‑drone market to accelerate the acquisition of vetted systems that meet NATO standards.
Training for drone operators will be integrated into the existing NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) programme, which has already expanded to include Finland, France and Sweden, raising the number of participating nations to twenty.
Complementing these measures, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) awarded a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar contract for surveillance drones that will enhance monitoring capabilities across allied airspace. Together, these efforts aim to reinforce NATO’s collective defence while fostering a stronger European defence industrial base.