Strategic Airlift Capability

A key capability for the Alliance

Ten NATO countries¹ plus two Partner countries (Finland and Sweden) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding confirming their participation in Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) initiative to acquire, manage, support and operate three Boeing C-17 strategic transport aircraft.²

The aircraft will be based at Pápa Airbase in Hungary. The first aircraft was delivered on 27 July 2009 with the second and third aircraft to follow September and October 2009 respectively.

The aircraft will be operated by multinational aircrews under the command of a multinational structure - the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW). The HAW is currently commanded by a US Air Force officer with a Swedish Air Force Deputy Commander. The HAW will be manned by personnel from all participating nations.

This is one of two 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 An-124-100 transport aircraft. In addition, there are national procurement programmes in place to improve airlift capabilities including the acquisition by seven NATO nations of 180 A400M aircraft and the purchase by Canada, the and the United States of C-17s for national use.

What does this mean in practice?

The C-17 is a large strategic transport aircraft capable of carrying 77 000 kilograms of cargo over 2400 nautical miles (4450 kilometers) and which is able to operate in difficult environments and austere conditions.

The planes will be configured and equipped to the same general standard as C-17s operated by the US Air Force. The crews and support personnel will come from the participating countries and be trained for mission profiles and standards agreed by the countries. These strategic lift aircraft are to be used to meet national requirements, but could also be allocated for NATO, UN or EU missions, or for other international purposes (e.g. humanitarian airlift and disaster relief) as agreed by the nations.

How did it evolve?

Following intense consultations, a Letter of Intent (LOI) to launch contract negotiations was publicly released by 13 NATO countries on 12 September 2006. In the intervening period, two Partners joined the consortium and NATO participation has evolved to the current ten members.

On 20 June 2007, the North Atlantic Council approved the Charter of a NATO Production and Logistics Organisation (NPLO), which authorizes the establishment of the NATO Airlift Management Organisation (NAMO). The Charter came into effect upon signature to the MOU and notification to the North Atlantic Council, which took place at the end of September 2008. The Charter authorized the establishment of the NATO Airlift Management Agency (NAMA) will acquire, manage and support the airlift assets on behalf of the SAC nations.

Who participates?

The participants include ten NATO nations (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, , Slovenia and the United States) and two Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations (Finland and Sweden).

Membership in the airlift fleet remains open to other countries upon agreement by the consortium members.

1. NATO participants in SAC are Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the United States. 2. Two aircraft will be procured under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) while the US will provide the third as a US contribution.

Source: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_50105.htm Last updated: 09-Nov-2010 11:52