Boeing C-17 Globmaster III from SAC in brussels
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Pictures : Serge Van Heertum
On July
27 and 28 a Boeing C-17 from SAC organisation visited Brussels for a transit
before his final destination.
Strategic Airlift Capability
This organisation includes
ten NATO nations : (Bulgaria,
Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia
and the United States) and two Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations (Finland and
Sweden).
Mission
and Mandate
Operational since 2009, these strategic transport aircraft
are used for national, NATO, United Nations or European Community missions, also
for other international purposes (for example humanitarian airlift and disaster
relief) as agreed by the nations. The SAC has flown several operational
missions, including flights to support Kosovo Forces and the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It has also conducted humanitarian relief
missions to
Haiti on 18, 21 and
02
February 2010.
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Facts
and Figures
The
C-17 Globemaster III is a large strategic transport aircraft capable of carrying
77 000 kilograms of cargo over 2400 nautical miles (4 450 kilometers) and which
is able to operate in difficult environments.
The fleet of three aircraft is based at Pápa Airbase in Hungary and are wearing
the Hungarian Air Force markings. The first aircraft was delivered on
27 July
2009,
the second and third aircraft followed in September and October 2009
respectively.
Aircrafts are flown and maintained by multinational aircrews under the command
of a multinational military structure - the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW). The
Commander of the HAW is a US Air Force officer and his Deputy Commander is a
Swedish Air Force officer. The HAW is manned by personnel from all participating
nations.
The planes are configured and equipped to the same general standard as C-17s
operated by the US Air Force, the UK Royal Air Force and the Canadian Air Force.
History
Because
Strategic Airlift is a key capability for the Alliance, ten NATO countries plus
two Partner countries have confirmed in September 2008 their participation in
Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) initiative for the acquisition and
sustainment of three Boeing C-17 strategic transport aircraft.
This is one of three complementary initiatives aimed at providing NATO nations
with strategic airlift capabilities. A second initiative is the Strategic
Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS), under which a multinational consortium of 18
countries has contracted a civilian company for the charter of Antonov
An-124-100 transport aircraft. And lastly there are national procurement
programmes in place. Seven NATO nations are acquiring A400M aircraft, while
three NATO nations (Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States)have
purchased C-17s for national use.