newstodate.aero
Nov 24, 2008 (newstodate): EU and NATO are keen to reduce their dependency on chartered commercial aircraft to meet the needs for military uplift capacity.
12 EU members including Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain have now signed a LoI regarding the establishment of a European air transport fleet, EATF.
Eight more countries are expected to join shortly, and hopes are to turn the LoI into reality by 2009, preparing for launch within five years.
The backbone will be the fleet of Airbus A400M aircraft, eventually to replace the current fleets of C-130 and C-160 Transall aircraft.
EATF will also replace NATO's current Ruslan-SALIS contract till 2012 comprising the stationing of two AN-124 aircraft at Leipzig Halle Airport, with another four AN-124 aircraft allocated upon request as needed by the NATO and EU members of SALIS.
12 EU members including Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain have now signed a LoI regarding the establishment of a European air transport fleet, EATF.
Eight more countries are expected to join shortly, and hopes are to turn the LoI into reality by 2009, preparing for launch within five years.
The backbone will be the fleet of Airbus A400M aircraft, eventually to replace the current fleets of C-130 and C-160 Transall aircraft.
EATF will also replace NATO's current Ruslan-SALIS contract till 2012 comprising the stationing of two AN-124 aircraft at Leipzig Halle Airport, with another four AN-124 aircraft allocated upon request as needed by the NATO and EU members of SALIS.