Thursday, September 2, 2021 marks the reception of a new A330 Phénix by the French Air and Space Army at the "Charles Monier" Air Base 125 in Istres.

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This fifth A330 Phénix, n ° 45, completes the fleet of the 31st EARTS which continues to support the ramp-up of the Armies Hub in Istres (Picture source: French Air and Space Army )

A new generation multirole aircraft, the A330 Phénix is ​​integrated into the fleet of the 31st Air Supply and Strategic Transport Wing (Escadre aérienne de ravitaillement et transport stratégique/ EARTS) . It pools the functions of personnel transport, heavy medical evacuation and in-flight refueling, ensuring a considerable projection extension for Air and Space Army planes.

Thus, since its first delivery in 2018 on the BA 125, the MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) has been at the heart of the operational activity of the AAE. For its multiple missions of deterrence, contribution to the permanent air safety posture, projection of force, power and medicalized emergency medical evacuation transport, it was put in works in numerous missions and large-scale operations.

In fact, equipped with the Morpheus kit, he simultaneously participated in 2020 in aerosanitary evacuation missions for patients with COVID-19 as part of Operation Resilience and Operation Strategic Air Forces Poker. In 2020 and 2021, he took part in the Skyros and Heifara Wakea power projection missions. In August, he finally provided several "back loops" between the United Arab Emirates and France for the evacuation of nationals in Afghanistan as part of Operation Apagan.

Delivered by the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), this fifth A330 Phénix, n ° 45, completes the fleet of the 31st EARTS which continues to support the ramp-up of the Armies Hub in Istres and which is also preparing to welcome Transport Squadron (ET) 3/60 Esterel passed under the command of the Strategic Air Forces.

Capable of refueling two fighters simultaneously or an E-3F surveillance aircraft, the Phoenix carries up to 110 tonnes of fuel distributed in the wings of the aircraft. Its main mission is to supply the airborne component of nuclear deterrence. In addition to its Morphée capacity (resuscitation module for patients with high evacuation elongation), which recently proved its worth during the Covid-19 crisis, the Phoenix allows, with the A400M, to increase strategic transport capacities with increased passenger and freight capacity  (Picture source: French Air and Space Army )