SAC to decide on extending Heavy Airlift Wing, adding new aircraft and members

The NATO supported Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) is to decide in the coming months whether or not to extend the current 30-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) that is currently due to expire in 2038, with potentially additional aircraft and new members also being added.

The SAC programme will look at potentially extending the MoU it has in place with 12 nations to operate three C-17 transport aircraft out of Pápa Airbase in Hungary, with additional aircraft types and new members also a possibility. (NATO)

Speaking at the virtual SMi Military Airlift and Air-to-Air Refuelling 2020 conference, the commander of the SAC’s Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW), US Air Force (USAF) Colonel James Sparrow, said that with the capability’s three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft now set to remain in USAF service for a lot longer than originally anticipated, consideration is being given to extending the programme at the same time as potentially adding new airframe types and members.

“The MoU is a 30-year agreement that started in 2008. This timeline was based on the original lifespan of the aircraft, but as it will now be around a lot longer than that – the USAF is talking about operating it through into the 2080s – in the next year the 12 participating nations will start a discussion on whether to extend the MoU beyond 2038,” Col Sparrow said on 2 December, adding, “When the MoU extension comes up, that will be the perfect time to maybe add more nations.”