The Air Force, represented by Colonel Pilot Frutuoso da Silva, participated in the AIRBUS MRTT Users Group event in Madrid on 15 October. 

Colonel Frutuoso da Silva's participation is noteworthy because he was the first Portuguese pilot involved in test flights with AIRBUS, which made the first contacts with the boom — dry (without fuel transfer) and wet (with fuel transfer) — using Air Force F-16M aircraft.

According to Colonel Frutuoso da Silva, ‘this partnership is an excellent example of synergy between two organisations with different purposes, which have been able to align their objectives and exploit mutual benefits. Although Portugal is not currently part of the MRTT user community, we feel that the project is our own.’

AIRBUS’s tribute to the Air Force for its support in developing the company’s refueller programme, with its participation in AMUG, reaffirms the Air Force’s commitment to international cooperation, operational innovation and knowledge sharing with industry, contributing to the development of solutions that strengthen security and interoperability in the Euro-Atlantic area.