European Air Transport Command

The European Air Transport Command ( EATC ) ( German: European Air Transport Command ) is a multinational command authority of the French, Dutch, Belgian, German and Luxembourg Air Forces in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Its main task is the operational command of the air transport and air refueling forces of the participating nations.

History

In November 1999, the Franco-German Security Council declared the phased integration of existing military air assets to a common goal. In a suitable framework multinational joint management should be established in order to achieve profitable synergies. This political idea marked the starting point for the project of a European Air Transport Commands ( EATC ). At this time there was already the European Air Group (EAG ) - a group of seven nations, which should be a study on the feasibility of the idea and possible courses of action to perform. This European Airlift Study concluded that an extended cooperation and deeper coordination in the European air transport is highly recommended and is even necessary in view of the A400M project. She defined the goal of a common command structure and defined various stages of development.

The nations of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom followed in 2001 this urgent recommendation and provided the European Airlift Coordination Cell ( EACC ) in Eindhoven. Norway sent an officer to a partner status. This institution was initially limited to the mere coordination of air transport operations of the partner nations. However, it proved after a short time that the forecasts of the study agreed. It achieved a significant improvement in efficiency, which ultimately surpassed the investment in the EACC project. The success prompted the partner nations to further develop the skills of the EACC in order to achieve an even greater effect can. Urgent requirement was the general willingness of nations to make parts of their planning and ordering competencies and an important step to go towards an even deeper integration.

Therefore, the EACC was expanded in its planning powers and his capacity for conceptual work for the European Airlift Centre ( EAC) in 2004. In this office should henceforth the conditions for a future closer cooperation are defined and first approaches to standardization of rules and procedures to be prepared. The success of this fundamental work, however, was far more difficult to measure, as the resource optimization of the EACC. The lack of staff and lack of political will of a fast agreement of the partner nations on the secondary step. However, the EAC could successfully support EU and NATO - led operations. These included the EU Operation Artemis in the Democratic Republic of Congo from June to September 2003 and the NATO International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) mission in Afghanistan.

At the 7th German - French Council of Ministers (12 October 2006), finally, Germany and France agreed on to initiate the establishment of a joint command. Belgium and the Netherlands joined shortly thereafter to the project. In May 2007, the four nations signed an appropriate concept for the preparation of the European Air Transport Command, on the basis of a multinational formation staff three months later started work. This bar set the stage for the preparation of the EATC, which took place on 1 September 2010 in Eindhoven, in the presence of political and military representatives of the partner nations. The participation in this European project is open to other nations. Spain currently has the status of an active observer and is a full member in mid-2014.

The full operational operational capability (Full Operational Capability ) was obtained in November 2013.

Among the missions that has the EATC been carried out in addition to the evacuation of citizens of European countries after the earthquake in Japan 2011 include mainly inserts in Libya:

• Neo - operations (February-March 2011): 17 flights with a total of 200 flight hours, while 1,100 passengers and 15 tons of cargo were transported;
• ( 18 to 21 March 2011) Opération Harmattan the Armee de l'Air: 31 flights, accumulated about 170 hours of flight time to get to 700 passengers and 200 tons, mainly on relief supplies into the country; as well as
• Operation Unified Protector ( NATO mission ): So far, nearly 3,500 flight hours, with 11,000 passengers and 3,300 tons of cargo. Destination airports were most notably, the bases of the warplanes that have been used against Libya. Of the 320 missions by 72% France, 16 % in Belgium, 8% from Germany and 4% of the Netherlands were flown.

Tasks

The European Air Transport Command is responsible for scheduling and coordinating the 200 transport aircraft of the five partner nations. For this purpose, the participating nations their capacity in the field of air transport with various fixed wing aircraft - but no helicopters - the EATC available. If a Member State in demand for air transport or aerial refueling, it reports this to the EATC that uses the appropriate aircraft from the shared pool. In addition, the EATC is responsible for the planning and execution of operations, ensuring the joint training and standardization. The command has been organized since 2012, the European Air Transport Training, held in Zaragoza or Plovdiv.

Structure in the peace

Has command of the EATC basically a Major General ( NATO rank code OF- 7), and his deputy is a brigadier general (OF -6). The command between the two largest nations, Germany and France will change; is a German entrusted with the leadership, he is represented by a French general and vice versa.

This alternating guidance can also be found in the two divisions mentioned fields again. To change the command of the Operational Division and the Functional Division between Dutch and Belgian staff officers.

German contribution

Germany presented by Major General Jochen Both the first commander of the EATC. The German soldiers who began their work in Eindhoven with preparation of the EATC, comes largely from the defunct Air Transport Command ( LTKdo ) in Münster, which was made ​​on 31 December 2010 out of service. Up to then the LTKdo troops and professional business subordinate air transport squadron and flight readiness of the Ministry of Defense were first troops on duty subject to the Air Force divisions on 30 June 2010 and are in accordance with their resolution are assumed in the course of 2013 to one of the newly created commands.

The parliamentary aircraft operation is performed by the flight readiness of the Ministry of Defense, the use of helicopters, for example, for the national search and rescue service, and in other countries ( eg Afghanistan) stationed aircraft remain in respective national responsibility.

Fleet / flight hours

The backbone of the current fleet to which the EATC can access that form C-160 Transall and C- 130 Hercules. In addition, still standing aircraft types CASA CN -235 and Airbus A340 for the pure passenger transport and Airbus A- 310 and KDC -10 for passenger transport and use as tanker aircraft available. Overall, the fleet includes about 150 aircraft. In the future, especially the C-160 Transall and C -130 Hercules will be replaced by the Airbus A400M, the EATC all members with the exception of the Netherlands have ordered.

During the period 1 January 2011 to October 31, 2011 completed the aircraft EATC total of 40 559 flight hours in 6,572 flights. 650 patients were treated by medevac use and 138 air refueling performed. In these flights almost 270,000 passengers and 18,600 tons of cargo were transported.

In January 2014, the EATC had access to the following fleet:

Commanders

List of commanders of the EATC ( Commander EATC ):