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\u003cp\u003eIn January 2019, a Ukrainian operator is due to take over fully from a Russian provider in meeting NATO airlift requirements for outsize cargo. Russia\u0026rsquo;s Volga-Dnepr is being superseded by Antonov Airlines in providing a minimum of two An-124 heavy airlifters to supplement NATO\u0026rsquo;s own transport fleets.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAntonov Airlines is partnered with German cargo specialist Aircargonet, the intention being to continue to operate two An-124 aircraft from Leipzig airport to fulfil NATO\u0026rsquo;s Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS). Two An-124s have been based at Leipzig since 2006 as part of the SALIS effort, one provided by Antonov. Volga-Dnepr said in April 2018 it was discontinuing support because of a shift in corporate strategy, although worsening relations between NATO and Russia cannot have helped. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eOutsize needs\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStrategic and outsize airlift has long been an issue for European NATO nations, with a reliance on the United States to provide almost all this capacity. The United Kingdom\u0026rsquo;s acquisition of the Boeing C-17 and latterly the introduction of the Airbus A400M have helped to address this, but for the moment at least the requirement remains to provide additional heavy lift. By way of comparison, the An-124-100 has a maximum payload of 120,000 kilograms, the C-17 77,500kg and the A400M 37,000kg. The first two also have roughly one third more range than the last.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnder the terms of the SALIS contract, ten European NATO member states (Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia)\u003cspan\u003e and also Finland and Sweden have, since 2006, had access to up to six An-124-100s from Volga-Dnepr Airlines and Antonov. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSALIS is complemented by NATO\u0026rsquo;s Strategic Airlift Capability, which was established in 2008 to provide three C-17s to another 12-nation consortium of ten NATO states and, again, Finland and Sweden. The Heavy Airlift Wing is located at Papa Air Base in Hungary.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe continuing mobility challenge for NATO was underscored by a June 2018 British Parliamentary \u003ca href=\u0022https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmdfence/387/387.pdf\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003ereport\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e that suggested: \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026lsquo;\u003cspan\u003eNATO has difficulty moving large forces. Movement by land would be by road or rail: but there are limited numbers of rail cars which are available to transport the weight of tanks, and these cars are currently owned by privatised rail companies. There are also concerns that rail bridgeheads, tunnels and bridges across Europe might not be able to support the weight of military loads. Transporting forces by sea is equally difficult \u0026hellip; NATO would probably have to rely on strategic airlift to transport forces, but airlift capacity is scarce amongst NATO European allies.\u0026rsquo;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow there are only four European states that nationally operate strategic-airlift aircraft: France, Germany, Spain and the UK. The first three field the A400M, while the last operates the A400M and the C-17. The UK\u0026rsquo;s fleet is of particular note in the context of the European Union, where from March 2019, when London is scheduled to leave, Brussels will see its heavy transport aircraft total reduce by around a third.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe UK\u0026rsquo;s \u0026lsquo;absence\u0026rsquo; could leave France to take up yet more of the heavy lifting, unless Germany shifts further from its traditional reluctance to take part in military operations. France also received support from British C-17s as part of \u003cem\u003eOperation\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eBarkhane,\u003c/em\u003e Paris\u0026rsquo;s counter-terrorist deployment in the Sahel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\u00224\u0022\u003eUnited States and European heavy transport aircraft, 2001\u0026ndash;18\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountries\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYear\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInventory Number\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEquipment Type\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eEurope (France, Germany, Spain, UK)\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e2018\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e63\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eA400M, C-17A \u003cem\u003eGlobemaster\u003c/em\u003e III\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eEurope (UK)\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e2011\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e7\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eC-17A \u003cem\u003eGlobemaster\u003c/em\u003e III\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eEurope (UK)\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e2001\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e4\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eC-17A \u003cem\u003eGlobemaster\u003c/em\u003e III\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eUnited States\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e2018\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e264\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eC-17A \u003cem\u003eGlobemaster\u003c/em\u003e III, C-5M \u003cem\u003eSuper Galaxy\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eUnited States\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e2011\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e194\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eC-5B/C/M \u003cem\u003eGalaxy\u003c/em\u003e, C-17A \u003cem\u003eGlobemaster\u003c/em\u003e III\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eUnited States\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e2001\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e323\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003eC-5A/B, C-17A, C-141B\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eProgress, bit by bit\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile European NATO members still face a heavy-airlift deficit, the situation has at least improved since the 1990s. Until the arrival of the first Royal Air Force C-17 in 2001, Europe did not have any strategic airlift.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEU military ambitions will also be dependent on adequate strategic airlift, and this remains a notable capability gap. Fourteen member states signed the European Air Transport Fleet letter of intent in 2009 although, a decade on, progress remains modest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSustaining SALIS indicates that while European NATO nations, and by proxy the EU, are improving the capacity for strategic air transport, it remains a work in progress. If ambitions are to be fulfilled further advances will be required.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr /\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis analysis originally featured on the\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\u0022http://go.iiss.org/2gnVMys\u0022\u003eIISS Military Balance+\u003c/a\u003e, the online database that provides indispensable information and analysis for users in government, the armed forces, the private sector, academia, the media and more. Customise, view, compare and download data instantly, anywhere, anytime.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","className":"richtext reading--content font-secondary"}), document.getElementById("react_eEJVxmmVWESCH1rRaQELQ"))});
\u003cp\u003eAlthough Europe’s heavy-airlift deficit has improved in recent decades, further advances are required to fulfil European and NATO military ambitions.\u003c/p\u003e
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