The joint Franco-German C-130J squadron is integrating the air refueling capability, with the Germans refueling the Eurofighter and the French refueling the Mirage 2000 and Rafale.
In a major milestone towards a joint aerial refueling capability, a KC-130J of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) refueled six German Eurofighter Typhoons over Neubrandenburg last week. The service said this was the first time the country’s KC-130J refueled the Eurofighters, with the operation taking place at an altitude of 6,000 meters at speeds of 440 km/hour.
The KC-130J is a part of the joint Franco-German Binational Air Transport Squadron (BATS), a first-ever bilateral C-130J Super Hercules unit, based at Évreux-Fauville Air Base in France. The unit operates six German aircraft and four French ones, for a total of five KC-130Js and five C-130J-30s.
The new milestone comes after France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (Directorate General of Armaments – DGA) announced on Oct. 9 that a French KC-130J from the same squadron successfully refueled a French Air and Space Force Mirage 2000D RMV. The DGA says it previously refueled the Rafale too.
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Joint French-German Super Hercules squadron
The joint unit was established in September 2021 with aircraft from both the Luftwaffe and the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l’air et de l’espace – FASF). The BATS is the first and only binational squadron in the C-130’s history, with the two countries conducting combined training since 2024, as reported by Lockheed Martin.
Germany acquired three C-130J-30s (“stretched” variant of the standard C-130) and three KC-130Js (tanker variant), while France bought two of each type. Thus, the composition of the French-German BATS is five C-130J-30s and five KC-130Js, the latter for the tanker role.
The Luftwaffe had reported on Apr. 19, 2024 the delivery of its third KC-130 to Évreux-Fauville. The four French aircraft were delivered between January 2018 and February 2020, and were based at Orléans-Bricy until the squadron was established.
Willkommen in der Familie! Die dritte unserer KC-130 Maschinen ist aus den USA von @LockheedMartin nach Evreux, dem Standort unserer gemeinsamen 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 „Rhein“ Staffel, überführt worden. @Armee_de_lair pic.twitter.com/TKcAtImPAI
— Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) April 19, 2024
According to the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces), the decision to set up the BATS was taken in 2016, after a study identified a capability gap that was set to arise following the retirement of the C-160 Transall in 2021. Its missions involve supporting “joint air transport across the entire logistical and tactical spectrum,” including special forces operations as well as operations in “times of crisis and in the execution of national contracts.”
Refueling Tests
In its Instagram post, the Luftwaffe said that the refueling of the six German Eurofighters involved the transfer of over “seven tons” of fuel, with “a precise process from start to finish off.” The refueling campaign also involved the presence of a French observer on board, representing the “binational team effort.”
The service said on its WhatsApp channel ‘TeamLuftwaffe’ that the German-French team is “strong” and “ready for action together.” The images showed at least three Eurofighter Typhoons in various stages of connecting with the KC-130J’s drogue-and-hose refueling system.
In the Oct. 9 refueling of the Mirage 2000 and the KC-130J, the DGA said the refueling campaign involved four test flights that “enabled the validation of the fuel system compatibility between allied NATO aircraft.” The testing conditions involved night-time trials with night vision goggles, and “varied flight conditions and loadouts.”
↪️ Grâce au Binational Air Transport C-130J Squadron #BATS, 4 vols d’essais ont permis de valider la compatibilité des systèmes de carburant entre aéronefs alliés de l’@NATO incluant :
➡️ tests de nuit avec jumelles de vision nocturne
➡️ configurations de vol & emports variés
— Direction générale de l’armement 🇫🇷 (@DGA) October 9, 2025
In the video of the test released by the DGA, the two Mirage 2000s were carrying different loadouts. One was carrying what appeared to be two 500 lb GBU-49s on centerline, and an external fuel tank on each of the wings, while the other was carrying a fuel tank on the centerline, with no weapons loads.
The footage of the drogue’s release, contact with the refueling probe and separation are captured both from inside the cockpits of the Mirage 2000and from inside the KC-130J.
French and German fighter fleet
The DGA also mentioned that this testing effort “consolidates the capabilities of the Binational Air Transport Squadron’s (BATS), following the Rafale’s refueling campaign by the KC-130J.” It is not known when these trials took place, as no other images were released.
The service’s next step is to “authorize Mirage 2000/KC-130J refueling” with the FASF, the DGA added. These include the older Mirage 2000-5Fs, of which 23 airframes are still in service as of December 2024, according to an inventory document by the Ministry of the Armed Forces. At least six of these Mirage 2000-5Fs have been reported to have been donated to Ukraine.
The number of Mirage 2000Ds meanwhile stands at 55 aircraft, with many already converted to the RMV standard, while about 100 Rafales are in the inventory. The Luftwaffe has around 130 Typhoons, including Tranche 1s to Tranche 3s, and has signed on for more as part of Tranche 4 and Tranche 5.
The Luftwaffe and the FASF’s own organic refueling capability consists of the A400M Atlas, operating roughly over 50 and 20 aircraft respectively. Additionally, Franche operates the FASF operates 12 Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) which can refuel the Eurofighter and Rafales, while Germany can use the ones of the NATO Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF).
🛫 Next Stop: Evreux, France! @Team_Luftwaffe’s first KC-130J is en route to France where it will join the joint French-German C-130J/KC-130J squadron. pic.twitter.com/l71hXoAxm0
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) February 28, 2024
The A400M can refuel the Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the F-35B Lightning II and even the U.S. Air Force’s CV-22B Osprey, U.S. Navy E-2D Hawkeye, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler.
