The NATO Airlift Management Organization's Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) was activated today with the first of three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, designated SAC 01, joining the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) at the former Warsaw Pact air base in Papa, western Hungary. The SAC comprises 10 NATO nations (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, United States) and two Partnership for Peace members (Finland and Sweden), which are sharing acquisition and operating costs for the three C-17s and will provide their multinational crews for nearly three decades.
The first SAC C-17 was delivered during a ceremony at Boeing's final assembly plant in Long Beach, California, on 14 July. The second and third SAC C-17s will be delivered in September and October, respectively. The initial operational capability of the HAW is planned for this autumn, but the full operational capability could be as late as autumn 2011, based on the judgement of its commander, U.S. Air Force Col. John Zazworsky.
Speaking at today's activation ceremony, NATO Deputy Secretary General Claudio Bisogniero said the SAC places its members in a good position "to provide aid anywhere, at any time, and on any mission - humanitarian, disaster relief, or peacekeeping." SAC 01 is expected to start missions soon supporting NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Some A400M nations may be regretting not having gone the SAC route, given the constant delays in the European airlift program.
NATO photos
