Expanding airlift capacity in Pápa

The several milestones reached by the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) in recent years underline the importance of the multinational airlift wing operating three C-17 cargo aircraft. The C-17 Hangar Complex functioning on Pápa Air Base has already been unique so far; however, now their capability has been expanded with the addition of a new, 3200-square-meter warehouse. The 12 SAC member states co-financed the EUR 10 million CAPF construction project, which was running under the management of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). Besides the warehouse storage capacity, a number of offices were established on the first floor of the hangar, and the CAPF now houses a 33-meter-tall parachute drying tower as well.

HAW Commander Colonel Jason Mills told us that the new CAPF makes it possible to increase the storage capacity and to speed up the execution of the loading tasks, so that even a single aircraft will be capable of transporting multiple cargoes to their destination in a shorter time. The commander of the Heavy Airlift Wing revealed that the parachute drying tower was one of the key investments, because it enables the personnel to conduct airdrop operations under any weather conditions, as the drying will be taken care of from now on.