Strategic Airlift Capability

The Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) concept originated at NATO HQ in mid-2006. NATO officials and national representatives envisaged a partnered solution that would satisfy a need for strategic airlift for member states without the economic resources to field a permanent capability. Originally this idea was called the NATO Strategic Airlift Capability (NSAC). In October 2006 the first non-NATO nation joined the initiative and the concept changed its name to the SAC and moved outside the Alliance.

On 23 September 2008 the 12 nations established the Strategic Airlift Capability by signing the SAC memorandum of understanding.

On 14 July 2009, Strategic Airlift Capability received its first C-17 aircraft, bearing the registration SAC 01. The remaining two aircraft, SAC 02 and 03, were delivered in the following months and operations with the Heavy Airlift Wing started immediately thereafter at Pápa Air Base.

In November 2012 the Heavy Airlift Wing achieved Full Operational Capability (FOC). The unit was then considered fully capable of missions containing air refueling, single ship airdrop, assault landings, all-weather operations day or night into low-to-medium-threat environments, limited aeromedical evacuation operations and utilizing C-17 air-land and air-drop mission capabilities.[1]

Member states are Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States. All of these are NATO member states with the exception of Partnership for Peace country Sweden.

The governing body of the program is the Strategic Airlift Capability Steering Board, supported by the NATO Airlift Management Programme Board that consists of representatives of the member nations.

The SAC Steering Board exercises overall responsibility for the guidance, execution and oversight of the Strategic Airlift Capability in accordance with the SAC memorandum of understanding. It formulates SAC requirements and communicates them to the NAM Programme Board for execution.

The Strategic Airlift Capability has a lifespan of a minimum of 30 years and its member nations have committed to constant development of the program and its capabilities.

The aircraft and supporting equipment operated by the Heavy Airlift Wing are owned by the SAC Nations collectively. The NATO Airlift Management Programme Office (NAM PO),[3] an integral part of NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), processes the acquisition and maintenance of the SAC C-17 weapon system. It also provides site and administration support to the HAW. Boeing, the manufacturer of the C-17, is responsible for contract flight line maintenance; engineering and technical support; and management and supply of spare parts. The C-17 aircraft and their support were acquired from Boeing under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The first aircraft was delivered on 14 July 2009.[4] The C-17 Globemasters are based at Pápa Air Base in Hungary.[5]

A unique feature of the SAC program is its aviation safety certification system. This system called the Concept of Total Aviation Safety (CONTAS) is based upon a heavily adapted version of the United States Air Force C-17 safety system, the principles of design and operation of heavy airlift aircraft as described by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the mandatory requirements of the Hungarian National Transport Authority who are the national authority that registers the aircraft and certifies the operations of the HAW, and the support provided by NAM PO. This system has been accepted by all the SAC nations and as such is one of the World's first true multi-national military aviation safety systems.

A Strategic Airlift Capability C-17 at Otopeni delivering medical equipment from South Korea in 2020

The HAW aircraft can respond to a wide selection of airlift needs by member countries. The operations can include national support to EU / NATO / UN operations or national military, peacekeeping and humanitarian relief operations wherever and whenever needed by the partner nations.

Since 2009 the Strategic Airlift Capability has supported a variety of operations at its 12 member nations' requests including the International Security Assistance Force 2009–2014, and the Resolute Support Mission, RSM, 2015 – in Afghanistan. Operation Unified Protector in Libya, 2011. United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, 2013-. The EUFOR RCA, 2014–2015. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, 2015-. In addition to these operations, significant humanitarian operations supported include earthquake relief in Haiti, 2010, flood relief in Pakistan, 2010, and hurricane relief to the island of St. Maarten, 2017.[6]

Strategic Airlift Capability has also participated in the logistics support provided to the investigation of the 2014 Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash in Ukraine. In 2015, a Strategic Airlift Capability C-17 transported patients with severe burn injuries from Bucharest to the United Kingdom and Norway following the Colectiv nightclub fire.[6]

As of December 2016, the Strategic Airlift Capability C-17 fleet has achieved over 21,000 flying hours, flown over 1,700 missions, delivered over 138 million pounds (over 62,000 tons) of cargo and carried almost 100,000 passengers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Strategic Airlift Capability conducted Emergency Response Missions to Romania, The Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Hungary delivering medical equipment. The SAC transported about 250 tons of equipment from the Far East.[6]

At least one Strategic Airlift Capability C-17 was used in the August 2021 evacuation of Kabul. Nearly 3,000 civilians were evacuated from Kabul in 12 missions for two weeks.[6]

The Strategic Airlift Capability was used to transport search and rescue equipment in the aftermath of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.[7]

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