France Replaces Decades-Old US-Made KC-135 Stratotanker with Advanced European A330 MRTT in Move Toward Air Refueling Autonomy

With a flyover that blended nostalgia with symbolism, France’s final Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker made its ceremonial pass over Airbase 125 in Istres on June 30, 2025, marking the end of an era. As the aircraft banked away, it signaled not just the conclusion of a 61-year chapter in French aerial refueling history, but also the definitive pivot to a new generation of airpower represented by the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), known in French service as the Phénix.

The ceremony, attended by senior officers of the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace), former pilots, NATO representatives, and defense analysts, coincided with the delivery of the 13th A330 MRTT. It reflects a deliberate shift by France not only in aviation technology but also in defense strategy—one that emphasizes operational flexibility, alliance interoperability, and strategic autonomy.

The Boeing KC-135 entered French service in 1964 as the C-135F, purchased to extend the strategic range of the Mirage IV nuclear bomber fleet. Based on the Boeing 367-80, the same prototype that birthed the commercial Boeing 707, the KC-135 was America’s first jet-powered tanker and a cornerstone of Cold War air operations.

France originally received 12 C-135Fs, which were eventually upgraded into the C-135FR configuration in the mid-1980s, replacing their aging Pratt & Whitney J57 engines with more efficient CFM56 turbofans. These enhancements enabled better range, fuel offload capacity, and lower maintenance costs. Supplemented in the 1990s with three KC-135RG tankers acquired from the United States, the French fleet evolved but retained its core mission: to support both nuclear and conventional deterrence.

Over six decades, these aircraft supported countless missions, including Operation Chammal in the Middle East, operations in the Sahel, and various NATO training and surveillance efforts. They refueled Rafales, Mirage 2000Ns, and allied aircraft via hose-and-drogue systems. However, by the 2020s, these tankers were aging, increasingly expensive to maintain—at roughly €23,000 per flight hour—and technologically outdated.

France’s transition to the A330 MRTT began with a 2014 procurement contract and delivery of the first aircraft in 2018. By mid-2025, 12 of the 15 ordered aircraft had entered service, with the 13th coinciding with the KC-135’s retirement. The final two units are scheduled for delivery by 2028. These aircraft are now the backbone of French air mobility, encompassing aerial refueling, strategic airlift, and medical evacuation roles.

The Phénix, based on the Airbus A330-200 commercial airliner, offers vast improvements over the KC-135. It carries up to 111 tonnes of fuel—20% more than the KC-135R—and supports both boom and hose-and-drogue refueling, allowing it to serve two aircraft simultaneously. Its unrefueled range exceeds 14,800 kilometers, more than six times the maximum range of a fully loaded KC-135R.

In addition to refueling, the A330 MRTT can carry up to 300 troops, 45 tonnes of cargo, or 40 stretchers for medevac missions. It includes self-protection suites, Link 16 datalink, encrypted SATCOM, and a modern glass cockpit—features vital for integration into digital, multi-domain operations of the 21st century.

The replacement of the KC-135 fleet with the A330 MRTT is not merely a matter of technical upgrade. It embodies a redefinition of France’s global military posture, centered on three strategic priorities:

• Interoperability with NATO and Allied Forces:
  The MRTT allows France to seamlessly participate in multinational operations with the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and other NATO members. Its dual refueling systems are compatible with both boom-receiving and probe-equipped aircraft, enhancing France’s value as a coalition partner.
• Support for Strategic Nuclear Deterrence:
  As the aerial component of France’s Force de dissuasion, the MRTT plays a critical role in ensuring the survivability and effectiveness of air-launched nuclear missiles like the ASMP and ASMP-A carried by Rafale fighters. The Phénix is fully integrated into this mission set, with capabilities that match or exceed those of its predecessor.
• Strategic Autonomy:
  Unlike the American-built KC-135, the A330 MRTT is a European platform manufactured by Airbus. This move reduces French reliance on U.S. systems that may be subject to export restrictions, spare parts constraints, or operational vetoes. The MRTT is not governed by ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), allowing France to operate and deploy it without needing U.S. permission.

This shift toward European-produced platforms is also a quiet but clear response to transatlantic tensions over arms exports and defense technology sovereignty. The United States’ 2008 rejection of Airbus’s KC-45A bid—an A330-based tanker proposed to replace the KC-135 in U.S. service—was viewed in Europe as a political rebuff, despite Airbus winning the initial tender. Washington’s choice to favor Boeing’s KC-46 reinforced European concerns about being overly dependent on American supply chains.

In recent years, those concerns have intensified as Washington exercised greater control over the use and deployment of American-origin equipment, sometimes delaying support or imposing political conditions. France’s MRTT program was therefore not just an economic or military decision—but also a strategic move toward defense independence.

The MRTT’s integration has already begun to reshape French air mobility doctrines. The aircraft’s flexibility enables rapid switching between roles—tanker, troop transport, cargo hauler, medevac—without structural modifications. Missions in the Indo-Pacific, Sahel, and Eastern Europe have tested its capabilities in complex environments.

Furthermore, the A330 MRTT is compatible with NATO’s air operations centers, allowing it to seamlessly plug into joint air tasking orders, air-to-air refueling scheduling, and real-time data sharing during multinational operations. This compatibility ensures France can contribute more dynamically to collective defense, humanitarian missions, and crisis response.

On the domestic front, the aircraft supports a range of contingency operations, from nuclear alert patrols to troop rotations and medical evacuations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, similar MRTTs in other countries were used for rapid evacuation of ICU patients. The Phénix brings this same capability to French air planners.

Despite its age, the KC-135 remains one of the most iconic military aircraft in aviation history. Over 800 were built, with variants used for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and even nuclear sampling. The French KC-135FR and RG variants flew thousands of missions across continents, from Cold War nuclear alerts to modern counterterrorism strikes.

France’s aerial refueling squadron, Escadron 4/31 “Sologne,” operated these tankers out of Istres-Le Tubé for decades. With the retirement of the KC-135, this squadron was also deactivated, ending a storied legacy of endurance and adaptability.

Veteran tanker crews describe the aircraft with affection—praising its ruggedness, reliability, and mission versatility. “It was loud, hot, and unforgiving,” said one retired C-135 pilot at the ceremony. “But it never let us down.”

The retirement of the KC-135 marks a milestone not only for France’s military but for European airpower more broadly. As other nations like Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain also adopt the A330 MRTT under the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) program, a continent-wide shift is underway toward more interoperable, modern, and independent air forces.

With the Phénix, France strengthens its global mobility, enhances its ability to support allies, and safeguards its nuclear deterrence—all while reclaiming greater control over its strategic tools. This transition ensures that for decades to come, French pilots flying fighters, bombers, or humanitarian missions will look up and see the sleek silhouette of an Airbus tanker—and not the aging frame of an American-built Stratotanker.

Aircraft Comparison: KC-135R vs. Airbus A330 MRTT Phénix