New Commander Takes Over at Heavy Airlift Wing

Szöveg: Szabolcs Nyulas | 2017. július 11. 9:00

On Thursday, 6 July Colonel Bjorn Gohn-Hellum assumed command of the Heavy Airlift Wing in a change of command ceremony held at HDF Pápa Air Base.

Colonel Bjorn Gohn-Hellum (Royal Norwegian Air Force) is the fifth commander of the Heavy Airlift Wing, the operational unit of the 12 nation cooperation, the Strategic Airlift Capability. Before assuming command of the Heavy Airlift Wing, Colonel Gohn-Hellum has been appointed as the Vice Commander of the Wing since July 2015.

In his speech delivered at the ceremony, the new commander said that the organization led by him is a living example of Smart Defence, and at the same time, presents a great challenge to the cooperating nations. He pointed out that the SAC member states send their best experts to Pápa Air Base, where everyone develops further, so by now the organization could be on a par with a university.

The outgoing commander, Colonel Trevor W. Nitz of the United States Air Force stated that strong and committed allies were needed to ensure that the high-value C-17 aircraft can fly. Moreover, these aircraft not only fly missions to crisis zones but are also available for such missions 24 hours a day. The outgoing commander praised the achievement of his close colleagues and the ground crew without whom, as he noted, the giant cargo planes would not be able to take to the air.

The Strategic Airlift Capability is an independent international program with the primary objective of ensuring airlift capability for the 12 partner nations. The nations operate three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III long-range cargo aircraft which serve the interests of the participating countries according to their agreed share of flying hours.