Strategic Airlift Capability Interim Cargo Facility Inaugurated for Use at Pápa Air Base, Hungary

The SAC Interim Cargo Facility at the Hungarian Defence Forces Pápa Air Base consists of a 1800 m2 tent with aluminum support structure and heating and ventilation, fencing, a vehicle maneuvering area and roads connecting the facility to the taxiways of the base.

The construction work of the facility began with a groundbreaking ceremony in July 2013 attended by Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Secretary General of NATO, and the Minister of Defence of Hungary, Mr Csaba Hende. The facility received technical acceptance and occupation permit marking its completion in January 2014.

The Interim Cargo Facility will be occupied by the HAW Logistics Support Squadron (LSS) Aerial Port that is responsible of planning and executing the handling of cargo transported with the SAC Boeing C-17 Globemaster III long-range cargo jets.

The facility is intended to act as a cost effective interim solution for temporary storage of cargo delivered by air, by road and by rail to Pápa for transport with the SAC Boeing C-17 Globemaster III long-range cargo jets enhancing the ability of Pápa Air Base to serve as an Air Mobility Hub for the logistics operations of the 12 SAC program member nations.

After the inauguration of the facility HAW will be able to store cargo in Pápa in a semi-climate controlled environment protected from weather. Previously this capability has been very limited on Pápa Air Base as the old unheated hardened aircraft shelters of the base have been the main location used for storing cargo.

The Interim Cargo Facility was designed by UVATERV Zrt. and the construction was carried out by STRABAG Zrt. at an overall cost of approximately 282 million HUF (1,26 MUSD) funded by the 12 member nations of the multinational SAC program through the NATO Airlift Management Programme (NAMP). The construction of connecting roads was funded by the Hungarian Ministry of Defense as a part of the development projects of the Pápa Air Base infrastructure.

The Interim Cargo Facility is one of several infrastructure development projects currently taking place at Pápa Air Base by the Hungarian Ministry of Defense as the maintainer of the base and Strategic Airlift Capability program as its main user.

The most significant development project funded by the Strategic Airlift Capability program in Pápa is the construction of the HAW / NAMP Hangar Campus that will be finished in 2016. It consists of the construction of facilities housing the functions of Heavy Airlift Wing, NATO Airlift Programme Management Office (NAMPO) and the Boeing Company in Pápa. The facility will also include a hangar capable of housing one C-17 aircraft for maintenance.

Photos by HAW