Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark have signed a letter of intent to join NATO's multinational fleet for air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft (MRTT). The agreement was signed by the countries' defence ministers at NATO's ministerial meeting on 5 June in Brussels, Belgium.
The initiative is intended to strengthen Nordic cooperation within the framework of the alliance's shared capabilities, and covers strategic air transport, air-to-air refuelling and medical evacuation.
"After Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO, Nordic defence cooperation has deepened to also encompass the areas included in the alliance's collective deterrence and defence. This strengthens and complements the defence capabilities of the Nordic countries, but also of the Euro-Atlantic area," said Finland's Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen in a press release from the Finnish Ministry of Defence (Puolustusministeriö).
The multinational MRTT fleet is an existing NATO project with participation from several European member states. The fleet consists of Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft, a system capable of air-to-air refuelling, troop and materiel transport, and medical evacuation missions.