Serval operation. The Dutch KDC10 enters the dance. Soon a German tanker
(BRUSSELS2) The KDC-10 transport plane made its first flight on Friday. He took off on Friday from the Eindhoven air base, to go to France to embark equipment, before reaching his final destination: N'Djamena in Chad, where the logistics base of the French operation was installed. The plane did not fly to Bamako. Reason: the current security situation in Mali. The Dutch government has, in fact, decided to initially limit the operation of the KDC-10 to neighboring countries of Mali. " When the situation allows, the aircraft will also fly missions to Bamako, capital of Mali. we tell the Dutch defence.
4 "strategic" aircraft managed in Eindhoven
The aircraft is part of the European transport aircraft pool, EATC, based at Eindhoven military airport. The latter thus managed - at the French request - the dispatch of several strategic aircraft: a French A340 and a Belgian A330. The Dutch KDC-10 is expected to be joined by a German tanker, an Airbus A310 MRTT, which could be used to refuel French Mirages and Rafales operating in the Malian theatre. The KDC-10 is the largest aircraft in the Dutch Air Force. It can carry a maximum of 65 tonnes of cargo or 165 passengers over a distance of 9700 km. A German Airbus A310 has already transported a first team of 20 German soldiers from Air Transport Wings (ATW) 61 from Penzing and ATW 63 from Hohn at the end of January to reinforce the German logistics hub, established at Dakar International Airport, Senegal . This base should include 75 soldiers to ensure the operational support and operation of the German C-160 (Transall) made available to the Africans, to support the international support mission in Mali (AFISMA).
