WHICH NATIONS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE SAC PROGRAM?

Ten NATO nations (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and the United States) and two Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations (Finland and Sweden) have signed the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which entered into effect on 23 September 2008, allowing activation of the NATO Airlift Management Organization (NAMO) and initiation of the SAC Program.

CAN OTHER NATIONS JOIN THE SAC PROGRAM?

The SAC nations under the direction of the SAC Steering Board may offer participation to additional NATO and NATO PfP nations.

CAN A THIRD PARTY PURCHASE FLIGHT HOURS? HOW MUCH WOULD THAT COST?

Under the terms of the SAC MOU, the SAC nations may decide to use their flight hours in support of third parties. The specific details such as the cost to third parties is a bilateral issue between the SAC nation and the third party. HAW aircraft only fly at the direction of SAC nations, so a third party wishing to use SAC C-17s has to get a SAC nation to "sponsor" the third party´s airlift requirement, accepting the mission as one of its own. All flights of SAC aircraft in support of third parties still operate under the terms of the SAC MOU.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE SAC STEERING BOARD?

The SAC Steering Board, the executive body of the SAC Program established by the SAC MOU, exercises overall responsibility for the guidance and oversight of the SAC Program.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE NATO AIRLIFT MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION?

The NAMO, established by the North Atlantic Council (NAC) on 29 September 2008 under the terms of a Charter approved by the NAC on 20 June 2007, will own the SAC aircraft and oversee the management and logistics support of the aircraft and other SAC assets. The NAMO is lead by a Board of Directors following standard NATO Production and Logistics Organization (NPLO) procedures.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE NATO AIRLIFT MANAGEMENT AGENCY?

The NAMA is the executive body of the NAMO. Under the direction of a General Manager, the NAMA is responsible for program acquisition, logistics support, and financial matters. It is expected that NAMA will be staffed with 30-40 employees and will obtain further administrative and logistics support from the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA).

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HEAVY AIRLIFT WING? HOW ARE HAW PREPARATIONS PROCEEDING?

The HAW is the SAC Program operational unit and will be composed of 130-155 personnel from the SAC nations. The HAW Commander (United States) and Vice Commander (Sweden) and other key wing personnel have been selected. The HAW Advance Echelon (ADVON) team of approximately 14 personnel plans was deployed to Pápa Airbase on 06 October 2008 to begin setting up the wing. The remaining HAW personnel will deploy to Pápa Airbase over subsequent months so that wing flying operations could begin as soon as the summer of 2009.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF HUNGARY?

Hungary is the host nation and in addition to providing Pápa Airbase as the main operating base for SAC operations, will serve as the flag nation and register the SAC aircraft. Hungary is making significant national investments at Pápa Airbase to prepare for hosting the HAW.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES?

The United States will provide one C-17 aircraft as its contribution to the acquisition segment of the SAC Program. The other SAC nations have placed an order for two C-17 aircraft through US Foreign Military Sales (FMS). Logistics support will also be purchased from the United States through FMS. When it comes to SAC Program decision-making, the United States is just one of the participating nations.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE NATO MAINTENANCE AND SUPPLY AGENCY?

NAMSA will serve as the SAC procurement agency, particularly during the initial program phase, and will be lead for spare part requisitions for items not covered by the Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership (GSP) program. NAMSA will also continue to support the SAC Program in administrative areas such as contracting, finance, IT, and transportation. NAMSA, which has provided support to the SAC Program with funding provided by the SAC nations, throughout the program development phase, will continue to be an important contributor during program execution.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE BOEING CORPORATION?

The Boeing Corporation is producing the SAC aircraft and may provide Contractor Logistics Support (CLS), including maintenance, through the GSP program. Boeing will have over 50 personnel located at Pápa Airbase.

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF THE C-17 AIRCRAFT?

The C-17 is capable of carrying outsized cargo over strategic distances, and can deliver that cargo to short, austere airfields under combat conditions. The cargo compartment is easily reconfigured to handle many different types of cargo totaling over 77 metric tons. In addition to carrying passengers and palletized cargo on floor rollers, the C-17 can handle outsized cargo including many combinations of wheeled and tracked vehicles, helicopters, and standard shipping containers. In-flight air refueling capability reduces the need for ground refueling stops and extends the effective range. Short field landing capability allows access to 45% of the world´s airfields, seven times more than conventional strategic cargo aircraft like the C-5 or B-747. Short field landing distances are comparable to the C-130, even with much heavier cargo loads.

WHAT TYPE OF MISSIONS WILL THE SAC PROGRAM PERFORM?

SAC nations will use HAW C-17s for national airlift requirements (including support to NATO, EU, and UN), to enable deployment/employment/redeployment of forces, passengers and equipment and provide humanitarian relief.

HOW WILL C-17 FLIGHT HOURS BE ALLOCATED?

SAC nations estimated their annual requirements for C-17 lift in terms of flight hours. These estimates set the investment percentage for each nation in the SAC Program. After the first aircraft arrives, actual requirements will be passed from SAC nations to the HAW for mission planning and execution. The HAW is responsible for meeting the annual flying hour requirements of the SAC nations.

WHO DOES THE HAW COMMANDER REPORT TO?

The HAW Commander reports to the SAC nations, with policy oversight and assistance provided by the SAC Steering Board composed of representatives of the participating nations.

HOW ARE PÁPA AIRBASE PREPARATIONS PROCEEDING?

The NAMA infrastructure division, in coordination with Hungary, is currently initiating a number of infrastructure projects at Pápa Airbase to be used by the SAC Program. Hungary has also made significant investments at Pápa Airbase including a new perimeter fence and renovation of a number of buildings.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF SAC AIRCREW TRAINING?

The United States, which is the only SAC nation currently operating the C-17, will provide qualified aircrews to support initial SAC operations. Pilots and loadmasters from other SAC participating nations will receive initial qualification training beginning in 2009 at Altus AFB, where all US C-17 crew members receive their initial training. Recurring training to maintain full mission capability will be flown in established training airspace within Hungary and conducted initially by US instructors assigned to the HAW at Pápa Airbase.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION?

The SAC C-17 aircraft are being produced under US Air Force (USAF) contracts. Three C-17 aircraft, originally planned for USAF, will be provided to the SAC Program. The first aircraft will be the United States contribution to the acquisition segment. The other SAC nations will provide funding for the other two aircraft through FMS to enable USAF to contract for two additional C-17s to replace the aircraft provided to the SAC Program.

WHEN WILL AIRCRAFT BE DELIVERED TO PÁPA AIRBASE?

The first SAC C-17 should be delivered to Pápa Airbase in the summer of 2009. Delivery of the remaining two aircraft may be completed by the fall of 2009.

WILL THERE BE TECHNOLOGICAL/CAPABILITY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN US & SAC C-17s?

The SAC C-17s are identical to those being delivered to the USAF (Boeing C-17, Block 17). The SAC C-17s will also be eligible for post-production installation modifications and upgrades, upon decision of the SAC Steering Board.