Above the clouds of the Polish sky, a metal rod emerges from a French army Airbus. A Rafale plane sticks there to refuel and carry out its mission of “police the sky” on the eastern border of NATO, daily since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Paris Match snuck aboard one of the tanker planes which act as a fuel pump for the French Rafales on mission.
In the sky of Poland, at an altitude of 5,500 meters, near the Ukrainian border, two Rafales from the Saint-Dizier air base, emerge from the clouds. Under their wings mainly MICA interception, combat and self-defense missiles. Although the situation has eased slightly since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia – the Russian military aviation, although ten times superior to its Ukrainian counterpart, has so far failed to take full control of the Ukrainian skies – these missiles testify to the context that Europe is going through and to the importance of this new front which is playing out in the sky. The eastern side of NATO has become a sensitive area, particularly monitored and dense with military aircraft. Indeed, the Atlantic Alliance has reinforced its presence in the sky in order to show that this airspace is clearly not contestable.
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The two Rafales are therefore on an operational mission, and for 8 hours will ensure this lookout role. But for such a mission to be possible, a tanker aircraft is necessary. Without refueling, the Rafale could only patrol for 3 hours in flight. This mission aboard the A330 MRTT is therefore strategic.
“Rendezvous in the sky and fine piloting”
It all starts with a meeting point in the sky, coordinates given the day before to the pilots of the tanker in order to allow the best possible calculation of the flight plan – but also the number of liters of fuel to carry – then the first radio contact is carried out with the lead fighter pilot. This indicates that it is only 50 miles from our position. A few minutes will be enough for the Rafales to find its nurse in the sky. In the meantime, the Airbus must be stabilized as much as possible in order to facilitate the approach of the fighter pilots who will have to take charge of the most technical phase of the flight and allow refueling. All this aerial coordination is carried out by radio and at a speed of more than 500 km/h.
Simultaneously, the Rafale tandem approaches from each side of the Airbus and a rod – the “pod” – comes out of the wing of the Airbus MRTT. The goal: to connect to the “basket” located at the end of the rod to refill the kerosene tank.
“Even if the procedures have been mastered for years, we bring planes much closer than civilian aircraft would, it’s not something trivial” explains Captain Sébastien, captain of this EVA mission (Enhanced Vigilance Activities).
LTT Colonel Mickael, who came to accompany the handful of journalists aboard this mission flight, adds: “It’s always a delicate moment, in the sense that if the hunters fail, they will have to interrupt their sky police mission. De facto, the tanker must never be exposed to a potential threat”. The aircraft must not approach within 10 nautical miles (18.5 km) of Ukrainian and Belarusian territories and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. “We go as far as we can go, without getting too close to the border”, summarizes the lieutenant-colonel”
Ten minutes will be enough to fill the fuel reserves of each of the Rafale, at the rate of one ton of payload for each fighter. Once the latter are sated, they leave the meeting area and greet us with a break, a tight tack, before disappearing as quickly as they appeared.
The Airbus, meanwhile, continues its trajectory quietly. It will circle a flight, in the racecourse, in order to remain available, for nearly 9 hours, in permanent radio contact, and can serve as a communication relay to the command center, if necessary.
We will witness three refuelings, day and night, before the Phénix returns to its starting point, the air base of Istres.
The Phénix MRTT – A high added value aircraft for the Alliance
The Phénix MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) has two in-flight refueling systems with a basket but also with a pole compatible with NATO standards for most aircraft. It allows the projection of several missions in flight. makes an aircraft with high added value for the Alliance and is also a priority link in the French nuclear deterrent.The delivery of this “Swiss knife” aircraft, which can also transport military personnel up to 272 people or 30 tonnes of freight , will be 12 in number by 2023 in the French Air and Space Force.