Royal Air Force Tests Expeditionary Fueling System in Arctic Circle

During the exercise in adverse weather, the service refueled an Atlas A400M heavy-lift transporter using a fabric fuel tank.

Kimberly Johnson

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 05:47 PM ET

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The expeditionary refueling of the Atlas A400M occurred during Exercise Arctic Phoenix at Bardufoss Air Station , Norway. [Courtesy: Royal Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The Royal Air Force (RAF) successfully conducted the first-ever refueling of a heavy-lift Atlas A400M transport aircraft in harsh Arctic conditions (minus-20 degrees Celsius) in northern Norway.
This pioneering test, part of Exercise Arctic Phoenix, involved setting up a temporary "Air Landed Aircraft Refuelling System" using a fabric tank and snow-filled sandbags for remote aircraft operations.
The capability is crucial for the RAF's "Agile Combat Employment" strategy, enabling it to maintain flying operations from remote and austere locations.
Exercise Arctic Phoenix also focused on testing aeromedical evacuation equipment in extreme cold and training RAF personnel in cold weather survival skills.

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The Royal Air Force tested a tactical fuel system in northern Norway, marking the first time the service refueled a heavy-lift military transport aircraft during harsh, adverse weather conditions inside the Arctic Circle.

The expeditionary refueling of the Atlas A400M occurred during Exercise Arctic Phoenix at Bardufoss Air Station (ENDU), RAF said Monday. The extreme cold weather exercise began earlier this month to train RAF personnel and test a range of service capabilities, including aeromedical evacuations and cold weather survival skills amid extreme arctic conditions with temperatures reaching minus-20 degrees Celsius (minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit) and with limited daylight.