NATO AWACS demonstrates worldwide deployability

Component deploys assets to Australia and the TCA completes its first ever around the-world flight.

A NATO AWACS aircraft departs during the Royal Australian Air Force led exercise Pitch Black from Darwin, Australia. Photographer: Hay Janssen

On 2 June, one E-3A and one TCA with more than 80 Component members took off from the MOB, heading for the other side of the world and marking another major milestone in Component history. After months of comprehensive preparations, the first-ever deployment to Australia became a reality when NATO AWACS departed for Exercise Pitch Black, which takes place in Darwin from 2 to 27 June.

Pitch Black is a Royal Australian Air Force-led exercise with international participation that includes 3,000 participants and more than 60 aircraft from Australia, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, France and the E-3A Component. The overall mission for the E-3A Component is to exercise direct NAEW support of a NATO Partner. Specifically, the E-3A asset will be integrated into the Australian Defence Forces command and control structure to conduct air surveillance and battle management operations.

“This historic deployment to Australia is another example of our transformation into a world-wide deployable force,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Schmidt, Component Commander. “We are a lead element of the NATO Response Force and our daily mission requires that we be prepared to deploy on short notice to any location in the world as required by the Alliance. Our humanitarian relief flights to Pakistan and the United States in 2005 also demonstrate how the E-3A Component plays a vital role in NATO Response Force operations.”

Proud TCA crewmembers after their return at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen with: "I survived the first NATO TCA around the world trip" marked on their t-shirts. Photographer: Hay Janssen

TCA flies around the world in 9 days
As part of the deployment, an E-3A Component Trainer Cargo Aircraft (TCA) conducted the first around-the-world flight by a NATO owned and operated aircraft. On 10 June the TCA landed in Geilenkirchen at 1630, after flying a total of 36,277 km in flights that went from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen to Iceland, the U.S. state of Washington, Hawaii, Guam, Australia, Indonesia, Diego Garcia, Dubai, and back to the MOB. The TCA flight to Australia, providing logistics support for E-3A operations, included the transport of 50 Component personnel and more than 11.5 tons of cargo, mainly E-3A maintenance equipment.

“Back in 1519 a Portuguese maritime explorer with five ships and 270 men tried to find a westward route to Indonesia. His journey ended up as the first successful attempt in history to circumnavigate the Earth. In 1522, after almost three years and with only 18 men surviving, the first ever around-the-world trip became a reality. Today I am proud to say that all my men survived the very first time a NATO aircraft circumnavigated the world. With this trip the TCA squadron has proved, once again, that NATO Reaction Force (NRF) concept is something realistic,” explains a proud TCA Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Arturo Perez-Cuartero.”

Between 2 and 10 June the TCA conducted flights every day, except for one crew rest day in Dubai. The longest flight was 15.5 hours from Hawaii to Darwin, with only a short ‘fuel and go stop’ in Guam.

For the crew, crossing the equator was a special experience that involved the use of symbolism and ritual from the old traditions of sea travel.

NATO TCA around the world trip. Quelle: NATO

“The fact that the TCA went around the world made it very unusual, and it is very rare to cross both the International Date Line and the Equator. When crossing the Equator we also felt the special extra turbulence and King Neptune stopped by to hold a special line-crossing ceremony for the crewmembers who were crossing the Equator for the first time,” explains flight engineer Capt. Alistair Graham with a smile. “But mostly it was very hard work, and our mission success was in being there to support the E-3A when required. The TCA is a very reliable aircraft and everything worked out as scheduled.”

The scope of Exercise Pitch Black closely mirrored what the E-3A Component could be tasked to provide for a NATO Reaction Force (NRF) package. This means that the exercise provided the E-3A Component with opportunities to continue to refine its readiness and NRF processes.