Background: The Pégase Series and the Arctic Route

France has run the Pégase series since 2018.[4] The 2026 edition commits four Rafale F4s, three A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) Phénix aircraft, two A400M Atlas airlifters, and about 300 airmen for nearly 40 days, with nine stopovers and in polar, tropical, and desert environments.[5] Its route, from Greenland through Alaska and East Asia to India, the Gulf and Egypt, covers more than 40,000 km and validates a new projection route through the Far North.[6]

The Rafale provides the combat capability. The A330 MRTT extends its endurance through aerial refuelling while also undertaking transport tasks. The A400M moves personnel, equipment and essential support resources. Together, these platforms enable a compact force to undertake a complex deployment across multiple geographical environments.

The A330 MRTT Phénix: The force multiplier that extends operational reach

The A330 MRTT Phénix is arguably the most consequential enabling asset in PÉGASE 26. Aerial refuelling extends the endurance of compatible aircraft, reduces dependence on intermediate landing locations and provides greater flexibility in planning long-distance missions.

Three MRTTs left Istres with the four Rafales. The crews faced icing, crosswinds forecast at up to 35 knots, demanding approaches into Pituffik in Greenland and few diversion options.[7] Significantly, the Arctic leg demanded more tankers than fighters. Over the ice cap, the diversion airfield, normally the safety net of air-to-air refuelling, largely disappears. Hence, the real test lay in synchronising tanker availability, fuel states and crew endurance across a prolonged flight.

Each Phénix carries about 110 tonnes of fuel and can refuel two Rafales at once. France designed the fleet to deploy 20 Rafales 20,000 km within 48 hours, and it has supported the airborne nuclear deterrent since October 2019. It also carries up to 272 personnel or 30 tonnes of cargo, and converts to carry up to 40 lightly injured patients.[8] It refuels through both a boom and wing pods; in Alaska it refuelled United States Air Force F-22s through the boom.[9] Taken together, the figures explain the tanker’s strategic weight: it turns a fighter’s fixed combat radius into a choice of deep strike from secure rear bases, persistent patrols over distant sea lanes or rapid reinforcement. It adds cargo and casualty evacuation without a second fleet.

The A400M Atlas: Sustaining the deployment

The A400M Atlas........

© IDSA