The joint Franco-German C-130J squadron is integrating the air refueling functionality, with the Germans refueling the Eurofighter and the French refueling the Mirage 2000 and Rafale.
In a serious milestone in direction of a joint aerial refueling functionality, a KC-130J of the German Air Power (Luftwaffe) refueled six German Eurofighter Typhoons over Neubrandenburg final week. The service mentioned this was the primary time the nation’s KC-130J refueled the Eurofighters, with the operation going down at an altitude of 6,000 meters at speeds of 440 km/hour.
The KC-130J is part of the joint Franco-German Binational Air Transport Squadron (BATS), a first-ever bilateral C-130J Tremendous Hercules unit, primarily based at Évreux-Fauville Air Base in France. The unit operates six German plane and 4 French ones, for a complete of 5 KC-130Js and 5 C-130J-30s.
The brand new milestone comes after France’s Course Générale de l’Armement (Directorate Basic of Armaments – DGA) introduced on Oct. 9 {that a} French KC-130J from the identical squadron efficiently refueled a French Air and Area Power Mirage 2000D RMV. The DGA says it beforehand refueled the Rafale too.
Joint French-German Tremendous Hercules squadron
The joint unit was established in September 2021 with plane from each the Luftwaffe and the French Air and Area Power (Armée de l’air et de l’espace – FASF). The BATS is the primary and solely binational squadron within the C-130’s historical past, with the 2 international locations conducting mixed coaching since 2024, as reported by Lockheed Martin.
Germany acquired three C-130J-30s (“stretched” variant of the usual C-130) and three KC-130Js (tanker variant), whereas France purchased two of every kind. Thus, the composition of the French-German BATS is 5 C-130J-30s and 5 KC-130Js, the latter for the tanker function.
The Luftwaffe had reported on Apr. 19, 2024 the supply of its third KC-130 to Évreux-Fauville. The 4 French plane have been delivered between January 2018 and February 2020, and have been primarily based at Orléans-Bricy till the squadron was established.
Willkommen in der Familie! Die dritte unserer KC-130 Maschinen ist aus den USA von @LockheedMartin nach Evreux, dem Standort unserer gemeinsamen 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 „Rhein“ Staffel, überführt worden. @Armee_de_lair pic.twitter.com/TKcAtImPAI
— Group Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) April 19, 2024
In response to the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces), the choice to arrange the BATS was taken in 2016, after a research recognized a functionality hole that was set to come up following the retirement of the C-160 Transall in 2021. Its missions contain supporting “joint air transport throughout all the logistical and tactical spectrum,” together with particular forces operations in addition to operations in “instances of disaster and within the execution of nationwide contracts.”
Refueling Assessments
In its Instagram submit, the Luftwaffe mentioned that the refueling of the six German Eurofighters concerned the switch of over “seven tons” of gas, with “a exact course of from begin to end off.” The refueling marketing campaign additionally concerned the presence of a French observer on board, representing the “binational group effort.”
The service mentioned on its WhatsApp channel ‘TeamLuftwaffe’ that the German-French group is “robust” and “prepared for motion collectively.” The pictures confirmed no less than three Eurofighter Typhoons in varied phases of connecting with the KC-130J’s drogue-and-hose refueling system.
Within the Oct. 9 refueling of the Mirage 2000 and the KC-130J, the DGA mentioned the refueling marketing campaign concerned 4 take a look at flights that “enabled the validation of the gas system compatibility between allied NATO plane.” The testing situations concerned night-time trials with evening imaginative and prescient goggles, and “various flight situations and loadouts.”
↪️ Grâce au Binational Air Transport C-130J Squadron #BATS, 4 vols d’essais ont permis de valider la compatibilité des systèmes de carburant entre aéronefs alliés de l’@NATO incluant :
➡️ exams de nuit avec jumelles de imaginative and prescient nocturne➡️ configurations de vol & emports variés
— Course générale de l’armement 🇫🇷 (@DGA) October 9, 2025
Within the video of the take a look at launched by the DGA, the 2 Mirage 2000s have been carrying completely different loadouts. One was carrying what seemed to be two 500 lb GBU-49s on centerline, and an exterior gas tank on every of the wings, whereas the opposite was carrying a gas tank on the centerline, with no weapons masses.
The footage of the drogue’s launch, contact with the refueling probe and separation are captured each from contained in the cockpits of the Mirage 2000and from contained in the KC-130J.
French and German fighter fleet
The DGA additionally talked about that this testing effort “consolidates the capabilities of the Binational Air Transport Squadron’s (BATS), following the Rafale’s refueling marketing campaign by the KC-130J.” It isn’t identified when these trials befell, as no different pictures have been launched.
The service’s subsequent step is to “authorize Mirage 2000/KC-130J refueling” with the FASF, the DGA added. These embrace the older Mirage 2000-5Fs, of which 23 airframes are nonetheless in service as of December 2024, in response to a list doc by the Ministry of the Armed Forces. At the least six of those Mirage 2000-5Fs have been reported to have been donated to Ukraine.
The variety of Mirage 2000Ds in the meantime stands at 55 plane, with many already transformed to the RMV customary, whereas about 100 Rafales are within the stock. The Luftwaffe has round 130 Typhoons, together with Tranche 1s to Tranche 3s, and has signed on for extra as a part of Tranche 4 and Tranche 5.
The Luftwaffe and the FASF’s personal natural refueling functionality consists of the A400M Atlas, working roughly over 50 and 20 plane respectively. Moreover, Franche operates the FASF operates 12 Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi-Function Tanker Transport) which might refuel the Eurofighter and Rafales, whereas Germany can use those of the NATO Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF).
🛫 Subsequent Cease: Evreux, France! @Team_Luftwaffe’s first KC-130J is en path to France the place it is going to be part of the joint French-German C-130J/KC-130J squadron. pic.twitter.com/l71hXoAxm0
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) February 28, 2024
The A400M can refuel the Rafale, the Eurofighter Hurricane, the F-35B Lightning II and even the U.S. Air Power’s CV-22B Osprey, U.S. Navy E-2D Hawkeye, F/A-18E/F Tremendous Hornet and E/A-18G Growler.
