Under an agreement signed on May 17, 2024, the US company has procured all 14 FASF KC-/C-135 Stratotankers, including both KC-/C-135FR and KC-/C-135RG variants. The FASF is divesting this fleet as it transitions to the Airbus A330 MRTT Phénix.
An initial tranche of 11 KC-/C-135FRs were transferred to Metrea on June 26, 2024, and three KC-135RGs will follow at a yet-to-be-determined future date.
Jon ‘Ty’ Thomas, head of Metrea’s Air and Space Group said “…we are pleased to continue the employment of these KC-135s which served the French armed forces for over 60 years.
“These aircraft were maintained to the highest standard while in French service and we will continue to do the same as we put them to work as commercial assets.”
He added: “With this acquisition, Metrea is putting even more ‘skin in the game’ to ensure that we have the necessary fleet capacity to provide our partners with the commercial aerial refuelling support they require for training, exercises, and force movement.”
Thomas continued: “As the only provider of KC-135 commercial refuelling, we ensure that US, allied and partners’ forces can train as they are very likely to operate …
