Air Transport Wing 61 | |
---|---|
Lufttransportgeschwader 61 (LTG 61) | |
Active | 24 August 1957 - 31 December 2017 |
Country | Germany |
Branch | German Air Force |
Type | Wing |
Role | Strategic and tactical transport |
Part of | Air Force Combat Command Kommando Einsatzverbände der Luftwaffe |
Garrison/HQ | Landsberg-Lech Air Base |
Decorations | Campaign streamer Federal Republic of Germany (1997) |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Colonel Daniel Draken (until 31 December 2017) |
Aircraft flown | |
Transport | Transall C-160 |
Air Transport Wing 61 (German : Lufttransportgeschwader 61) was a wing of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). The wing was founded in 1957 and disbanded on 31 December 2017. At that time it was based at Landsberg-Lech Air Base in Bavaria, Germany operating Transall C-160 fixed-wing aircraft, and was subordinate to Air Force Forces Command. Operational command rested, however, with European Air Transport Command. Although the wing's main task was tactical and strategic air transport, it was also employed in various humanitarian aid missions from 1960 onwards.
Air Transport Wing 61 was charged with one major task.
At the time of its disbanding Air Transport Wing 61 consisted of two groups having had, during the course of its history, various squadrons incorporated into its structure.
Air Transport Wing 61 was established on 24 August 1957 by order of the then Federal Minister of Defence Franz-Josef Strauss. It consisted of two squadrons and was first based on Erding Air Base, sharing the base with the United States Air Force. Initially the wing flew C-47 Dakota aircraft. Later in 1957 Nord Noratlas aircraft were introduced, eventually replacing all DC-3. In 1958 the wing relocated to Neubiberg Air Base, Munich. [1]
In March 1960, Air Transport Wing 61 flew its first mission when it was employed together with Air Transport Wing 62 to fly supplies to Morocco in the wake of the Agadir earthquake during the first foreign mission of the newly founded German Armed Forces. [2] In August 1966 relief flights were carried out following the Varto earthquake in Eastern Turkey as well as to Lisbon, Portugal after the flash floods of 1967. [1]
The wing converted to Transall C-160 in 1970 and 1971, and relocated to Landsberg-Lech Air Base. Helicopter Transport Wing 64, previously occupant of the air base, moved to Ahlhorn Air Base. Air Transport Wing 61's second squadron was disbanded in 1978. Consequently, all transport activities were combined in one Transall squadron. In 1979 one squadrons of Helicopter Transport Wing 64, flying Bell UH-1D, were incorporated into Air Transport Wing 61, forming No. 2 and No. 3 Squadron. No. 3 Squadron later relocated to Nörvenich Air Base in order to carry out SAR tasks and disbanded in 2006. [1] From 1971 until 2003 a helicopter was stationed at Military Hospital Ulm tasked with SAR duties not only for military personnel but also providing air medical services for civilians. This helicopter first belonged to Helicopter Transport Wing 64 but was transferred to Air Transport Wing 61 in 1978. [3]
In 1976 Air Transport Wing 61 took part in two relief operations following natural disasters. In May it provided emergency aid after Friuli earthquake in Italy, and in November it flew relief missions to Turkey after the Çaldıran–Muradiye earthquake. In 1980 it provided aid following earthquakes in Italy, the Irpinia earthquake affecting the regions of Campania and Basilicata, and to northern Algeria after the El Asnam earthquake. During the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia the wing was employed to carry out numerous relief fights and was also an important component of the airbridge during the siege of Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996. [1]
In 2007 the wing celebrated its 50th anniversary. For the occasion, two aircraft were painted in special livery. At the end of 2013 Air Transport Wing consisted only of No. 1 Squadron as No. 3 Squadron and No. 2 Squadron, flying helicopters, had been disbanded [4] and transferred to a newly established task force led by the German Army Aviation Corps. Subsequently, all helicopters were relocated from Landsberg-Lech Air Base to Niederstetten Air Base and were incorporated into Transport Helicopter Regiment 30. [5]
In support of the French military operation in Mali, Operation Serval, part of the Northern Mali conflict, aircraft of Air Transport Wing 61 were deployed to West Africa. In recognition of this a Transall aircraft of the wing was invited to take part in the celebration of Bastille Day of that year. In 2015 two aircraft of Air Transport Wing 61 took part in Exercise Trident Juncture 2015, one of the largest NATO-led military exercise since the end of the Cold War. The aircraft were stationed at Beja Airbase in Portugal where, incidentally, in the early 1970s crews from Landsberg-Lech Air Base were re-trained to fly C-160 Transall aircraft. [6] [7]
The German Air Force intends to replace the C-160 Transall with the Airbus A400M Atlas, a considerably larger aircraft. Since an extension of Landsberg-Lech Air Base is restricted by the river Lech to the west, and the municipality of Penzing to the east, the air base represented no practical option for basing the larger aircraft there. Consequently, it was decided to concentrate all A400M at Wunstorf Air Base and disbanding Air Transport Wing 61 altogether. The fly-out occurred at the end of September 2017. [8] The final roll call took place on 14 December 2017 under the eyes of Major General Günter Katz. Air Transport Wing 61 disbanded on 31 December 2017. All remaining aircraft were handed over to Air Transport Wing 63, based at Hohn Air Base. [9]
The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is an abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospatiale, and VFW-Fokker. It was initially developed to meet the requirements for a modern transport aircraft for the French and German Air Forces; export sales were also made to South Africa and to Turkey, as well as a small number to civilian operators.
The German Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of Germany. With a strength of 27,620 personnel, it is the third largest air force within the European Union, after the Italian Air Force and French Air Force. The German Air Force was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of then West Germany. After the reunification of West and East Germany in 1990, it integrated parts of the air force of the former German Democratic Republic, which itself had been founded in 1956 as part of the National People's Army. There is no organizational continuity between the current German Air Force and the former Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht founded in 1935, which was completely disbanded in 1945/46 after World War II. The term Luftwaffe that is used for both the historic and the current German air force is the German-language generic designation of any air force.
The Nord Noratlas was a dedicated military transport aircraft, developed and manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation.
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Évreux-Fauville Air Base is a French Air and Space Force base located about 2 miles (3 km) east of the town of Évreux in the Eure département, on the north side of the Route nationale 13 (N13) Highway.
Transall was a consortium created to design and manufacture the Transall C-160 military transport aircraft.
No. 35 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) transport unit. Formed in 1942, No. 35 Squadron operated during World War II, transporting cargo and passengers around Australia, New Guinea and the Netherlands East Indies, equipped with a variety of aircraft including the Douglas Dakota. It was disbanded after the war, but was re-raised in the 1960s for service during the Vietnam War, flying transportation and resupply operations with DHC-4 Caribous in support of Australian and US forces. The squadron was subsequently augmented with rotary-wing aircraft, operating UH-1 Iroquois in both the transportation and gunship roles. In the late 1980s, the squadron returned to a solely fixed-wing transport role. It ceased operations in 2000, but was re-raised in January 2013. It began re-equipping with C-27 Spartan transports in 2015.
Landsberg-Lech Air Base is a German Air Force base located near the town of Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria.
Neubiberg Air Base is a former German Air Force and United States Air Force airfield which was closed in 1991. It is located 9 km south of the city of Munich, Germany.
Celle Air Base German: Heeresflugplatz Celle is a military airbase of the German Army. The airfield is situated southwest of the city of Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany. It was opened in 1934 and has been in military use ever since. Today the aerodrome is used by a helicopter training school, a helicopter liaison and reconnaissance squadron and a helicopter maintenance unit utilising the type Bölkow Bo-105.
Roth Air Base is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of the city of Roth in Bavaria, Germany.
Faßberg Air Base is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northeast of the municipality of Faßberg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The air base is jointly used by the German Army and the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). Its main user is the German Army Aviation Corps.
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Lechfeld Air Base is a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) base located 1 km east of Lagerlechfeld in Bavaria, about 20 km south of Augsburg on the Bundestrasse 17.
Wunstorf Air Base is a German Air Force military airfield, located 6 km (3.7 mi) south-southwest of Neustadt am Rübenberge or 4 km (2.5 mi) north-northwest of Wunstorf in Lower Saxony, Germany. Wunstorf Air Base is the home to Air Transport Wing 62, a unit operating all German Airbus A400M Atlas.
Hohn Air Base is a military air base in Germany. It was home to the Lufttransportgeschwader 63 of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe).
Helicopter Wing 64 is a wing of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). It was subordinate to Air Force Forces Command until that was disbanded in 2013. In 2015 Helicopter Wing 64 was integrated into Air Force Troops Command which is subordinate to Air Force Command.
Air Transport Wing 62 is a wing of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). The wing was founded in 1959 and is currently based at Wunstorf Air Base in Lower-Saxony, Germany operating Airbus A400M fixed-wing aircraft. Air Transport Wing 62 is subordinate to Air Force Troop Command which in turn is subordinate to Air Force Command. Operational command rests, however, with European Air Transport Command.
Helicopter Transport Wing 64 was a wing of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). The wing was founded in 1966 and at the time of its disbanding based at Ahlhorner Heide Air Base which is situated in the southern suburbs of Ahlhorn in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Air Transport Wing 63 is a wing of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). The wing was founded in 1957 and is currently based at Hohn Air Base in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany operating Transall C-160 fixed-wing aircraft.
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