The Australian Ministry of Defence stated on November 21 that it has signed an arrangement with India that will " enable the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the Indian Armed Forces to conduct air-to-air refuelling ." With this agreement, the Aussie KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTTs) will be able to refuel Indian Armed Forces aircraft. Military aerial refueling is a critical component of projecting airpower and is a capability dominated by the United States (which possesses around 75% of all the world's tankers).
Australia signs a refueling agreement with India The agreement will see Australian tankers refuel Indian P-8I Neptunes operated by the Indian Navy. This will help increase the P-8Is' range in the Indo-Pacific region. These are the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft , which have a significant amount of Indigenous Indian equipment.
India has around a dozen P-8Is in service (P-8s are operated by Australia, the USA, and many allies). The pact was signed by Pat Conroy (Australia's minister for defence industry and capability delivery), and Shri Rajnath Singh (India's minister for defence). Australia trumpeted the agreement, saying it “ is a significant step forward in our relationship with India and will provide valuable opportunities for our personnel to work closely together, share knowledge and expertise, and build trust and understanding.
” “India is a top-tier security partner for Australia, and through our Comprehensive Strategic Partne.