NATO Prepares Major Boost to Aerial Refueling Capability; Military Airlift and Air-to-Air Refuelling

Florence, Italy, September 22, 2016 --(PR.com)-- NATO is preparing a major boost to its ability to refuel aircraft in mid-air, with the signature of an agreement between the Netherlands and Luxembourg to acquire two Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT) aircraft. The new tankers will be acquired on behalf of the participating nations and NATO. They can support NATO and European Union operations, as well as multinational and national ones.

Air-to-air refueling tankers are critical to long-distance deployments in support of other aircraft. NATO’s air campaigns in Kosovo and Libya have identified air-to-air refuelling as a critical shortfall in European military capabilities. Individual Allies, as well as NATO and the EU, have been working to address this shortfall.

(Source: NATO, 8 August 2016, 'NATO prepares major boost to aerial refueling capability')

Against this backdrop, SMi is proud to announce that the Royal Netherlands Air Force, Airbus Defence and Space and NATO will be providing timely presentations alongside senior military figures, industry experts and leading service providers at the 17th annual Military Airlift and Air-to-Air Refuelling conference, taking place on 29th - 30th November 2016 in Florence, Italy:

• Update on the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Programme
Colonel Johan van Soest, A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Programme Steering Group Chairman, Royal Netherlands Air Force
• Airbus Defence and Space Developing Military Capabilities
Didier Vernet, Military Affairs, Airbus Defence and Space
• Satisfying Strategic Airlift Requirements in NATO
Kenneth Carhart, Consultant, NATO

In addition, there will be a complimentary site visit to the Pisa Air Force Base where attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to visit the facilities and aircraft.

The Military Airlift and Air-to-Air Refuelling agenda will feature:

Military and Government Speakers
• Laurent Donnet, Programme Manager Airlift and Air-to-Air Refuelling, European Defence Agency
• Brigadier General Achille Cazzaniga, Commanding Officer of the 46th Air Brigade, Italian Air Force
• Major General Christian Badia, Commander, European Air Transport Command
• Colonel Johan van Soest, A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Programme Steering Group Chairman, Royal Netherlands Air Force
• Colonel Thomas Torkelson, Commander of 100 Aerial Refuelling Wing, US Air Force Europe
• Colonel Bjørn Gohn-Hellum, Vice Commander, Heavy Airlift Wing
• Colonel Torgeir Aas, Commander of the Gardermoen Air Base, Royal Norwegian Air Force
• Colonel Daniel Lemon, Division Chief, Logistics Operations, United States Africa Command, US Air Force
• Colonel Eric Renaut, Chief Resources Support Branch, EU Military Staff
• Group Captain Elizabeth Purcell, Chief AMCC, NATO SHAPE
• Group Captain Andrew Killey, Assistant Head of DSCOM, UK Ministry of Defence
• Group Captain Martin Cunningham, Chief of Staff - Air Mobility Headquarters, Royal Air Force (RAF)
• Michele Rega, Fixed Wing Officer, European Defence Agency
• Wiek Noldus, Programme Manager, Airlift Management Programme, NATO
• Kenneth Carhart, Consultant, NATO

Industry Speakers
• Didier Vernet, Head of A400M Product Marketing, Airbus Defence and Space
• Pam Valdez, Director, Derivative Fleet Support and Sustainment, Global Services and Support, Boeing
• James Eisenhart, Director, Sales and Marketing, C2ISR Mobility Platforms, Boeing
• Paulo Mirpuri, President, Skytech
• Colon Miller, Global Director, Government & Defense Programs, Volga-Dnepr
• Oleksandr Kiva, Marketing and Sales Director, Antonov

To view the full speaker line-up and conference programme, visit http://www.military-airlift.com/prcom