NATO Strategic Airlift Capability
The NATO Strategic Airlift Capability is a multinational initiative with the aim to enable the participant nations access to military strategic airlift. Involved are the ten NATO nations Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the United States of America and two Partnership for Peace (PfP ) nations Finland and Sweden.
History
On September 12, 2006, initially expressed the thirteen NATO member states, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States of America officially in a Letter of Intent ( LOI) their intention to build a common strategic airlift capability. Should be stationed three or four C -17 transport aircraft at Ramstein Air Base.
On 23 September 2008, the now ten NATO countries signed (Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Latvia and Slovakia were no longer involved; was added Norway) and two Partnership for Peace nations Finland and Sweden, the SAC Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU) with which the SAC program formally began. This MOU was the basis for the establishment of the SAC control group (SAC Steering Board ), which has the overall responsibility of the program, and the construction of the multi-national environment Association, the Heavy Airlift Wing at Papa Airbase in Hungary. The NATO Airlift Management Organization ( NAMO ), in charge of procurement for the aircraft of SAC, as well as their management and logistical support, was set up on 29 September 2008.
Since March 2009, the training of multinational aircrews and support personnel is carried out in July 2009, the first C-17 was taken over by Boeing and made a preliminary commitment, in September and October 2009 was followed by the second and third aircraft.
Due to the SAC, among other flights in support of KFOR and ISAF, as well as in the context of humanitarian aid after the earthquake in Haiti have been carried out in 2010.
Order
SAC is one of three complementary initiatives of NATO to improve their strategic airlift capabilities. In addition to SAC, the Strategic Airlift Interim Solution ( SALIS ) were constructed and introduced various national procurement programs. The SAC is always open to new participants.
The transport aircraft of the SAC can be, for example, in the context of disaster relief, used for missions of NATO, UN or EU and for other jobs. The usable by the United Nations flight hours and the occupation of posts depends on the respective financial participation. So take the U.S. for example, approximately 30 percent of the cost and can therefore around 30 percent of annual flight hours use. They also bring around 30 percent, or 41, of a 131 post of use the dressing.
Practices such as the NATO AWACS at Geilenkirchen or the European Air Transport Command in Eindhoven, also in command of the HAW and other leadership positions within the member nations based on the distribution of flight hours (and the budget) is changed.
Organization
NATO Airlift Management ( NAM) programs
As part of the NATO Airlift Management Agency reform NATO Organisation ( NAMO ) and thus also their executive body, the NATO Airlift Management Agency ( NAMA) was dissolved July 1, 2012 and as such the program into NATO Support Organization ( NSPO ) integrated. The NAM programs, led by a program director is on behalf of the participating nations responsible for the procurement, management and logistics support of aircraft and other material of the SAC program. It employs about 35 people at the main site chapels, Luxembourg, which is also the location NSPO, as well as in offices at the airbase Papa and the Wright - Patterson Air Force Base ( AFB ) in the USA.
Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW )
The multinational flying task force of the SAC, the (HAW ), who is stationed at the airbase Papa in Hungary since October 2008, Heavy Airlift Wing, comprises about 135 people from the participating nations. The association leaders are currently the United States, whose representatives come from Sweden. The HAW is not under the NATO command structure. The association is made up of a guide element, an application and a support squadron together:
- Command And Control Branch: The guide member, the Command And Control Branch, started its work in October 2008 with the development of basic documents, the organization and the process on. It is now responsible for the planning and management of the operations of the C- 17 of the SAC. For these tasks, staff from Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States is employed.
- Heavy Airlift Squadron: The tasks of the application season, the Heavy Airlift Squadron (HAS ) include in addition to the conduct of air operations, among other mission preparation through threat analysis and planning of operational tactics, training and standardization. The crews of the C- 17 of the SAC are formed for the entire spectrum of aircraft, including tactical arrivals and departures under threat, refueling in the air and transporting the wounded. The flight operation is performed with mixed multinational crews. The initial training of pilots and loadmaster on the C -17 takes place at the USAF Altus AFB in Altus on, Oklahoma, United States.
- Logistics Support Squadron: The support squadron, the Logistics Support Squadron (LSS ) provides the logistical and technical support of flight operations, including maintenance of motor vehicles of HAW and the air envelope, sure. The LSS is supported by a contractual arrangement, the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership ( GSP) by the manufacturer Boeing, which employs about 70 workers at the airbase Papa.
Aircraft
The task force is equipped with three C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift aircraft the company Boeing. The aircraft comply with terms of the configuration and equipment the C-17, which are delivered to the U.S. Air Force ( Boeing C -17, Block 17). The equipment with a self-protection system against IR-guided anti-aircraft missiles ( Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures - LAIRCM ), analogous to those of the USAF is intended. The C- 17 are registered in Hungary and wear the cockade of the Hungarian Air Force.