NATO Strategic Airlift Capability

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The NATO Strategic Airlift Capability is an initiative of several NATO members and two partner countries, Sweden and Finland, which signed Letters of Intention to pool together to purchase and operate three or four Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic aircraft. They are to be operated in a fashion similar to NATO's AWACS aircraft, with multinational crews and a multinational military structure to direct them.

The initial participants were: Bulgaria , the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and the United States. Later on Hungary, Norway and Sweden also signed the Letter of Intent.

Denmark announced in late 2007 that it was withdrawing from SAC.[1] [2]

Final approval was given on 20 June 2007, and the first aircraft is expected to be delivered in mid 2008. A total of four aircraft were decided upon.[3] NATO has also approved the establishment of a NATO Airlift Management Organisation (NAMO) and the NATO Airlift Management Agency (NAMA) to acquire and support the aircraft. The C-17 Globemasters will be based at Pápa, Hungary.[4]

Another agreement with 15 NATO participants (Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey), the Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) earmarks a number of Antonov An-124 aircraft permanently for NATO mission which might occur, contracted from the Volga-Dnepr heavylift company and from Antonov Airlines.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://idr.janes.com/public/idr/index.shtml
  2. ^ DID
  3. ^ NATO's military aircraft overview
  4. ^ "Military Aircraft Serial Review", On Dutch Wings, Military Aircraft Serial Review, 2008.
  5. ^ Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS)

[edit] External links

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