More than 90 allied fighter jets from across NATO are conducting advanced multi-domain combat operations during Ramstein Flag 2025 (RAFL25), one of the largest air exercises of the year.
The drills are centered at Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands, with aircraft also flying out of locations in Denmark and the United Kingdom.
According to aviation journalists Joris van Boven and Alex van Noije, contributors to Defence Blog, RAFL25 brings together a wide array of NATO platforms, including F-35s, Rafales, Eurofighters, Gripens, F-16s, and F/A-18s. These aircraft are executing complex scenarios under the direction of NATO’s Allied Air Command.
Air-to-air refueling is playing a pivotal role in the exercise. A multinational tanker fleet — including Canada’s Polaris CC-150, Italy’s Boeing KC-767, Turkey’s KC-135R, the U.K.’s Voyager, and U.S. KC-135 Stratotankers — is keeping allied aircraft airborne and combat-ready.
The Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit (MMU), with A330 MRTT aircraft contributed by the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, is providing additional support from Eindhoven Air Base and Cologne-Bonn Airport.
The refueling missions allow aircraft to remain on station longer, reduce ground turnaround times, and enhance operational reach.
In one operation, RAF Typhoons operating out of Lossiemouth were refueled off the coast of Denmark by an MMU tanker.
Dutch F-35s also used the same refueling flight to take on fuel over the North Sea, extending their range and mission duration.
Distributed air operations are a central theme of RAFL25. By dispersing assets across multiple locations and enabling sustained air missions without return-to-base limitations, NATO air forces are demonstrating their adaptability in contested environments. The ability to refuel in midair is seen as a force multiplier — essential to sustaining high-tempo air operations and ensuring interoperability across the alliance.
NATO officials say the exercise reinforces the alliance’s deterrence posture and collective defense capability while showcasing its commitment to operational resilience and multi-national cooperation.