Air Transport Wing 62 was founded on 1 October 1959. Originally based at Celle Air Base, it was redeployed to Cologne-Wahn Air Base in November of that year. In January 1960, the wing began to receive Nord Noratlas aircraft, 18 of which were eventually delivered.[4] Two months later, in March 1960, Air Transport Wing 62 flew its first mission when it was employed to fly supplies to Morocco in the wake of the Agadir earthquake during the first foreign mission of the newly founded German Armed Forces.[5]
In March 1963, all squadrons of Air Transport Wing 62 relocated to Ahlhorn Air Base except No 3 Squadron which remained at Cologne-Wahn Air Base and became part of the Special Air Mission Wing of the German Ministry of Defence.[4] Twelve Noratlas of Air Transport Wing 62 and Air Transport Wing 63 flew humanitarian aid missions to Algeria, following an earthquake in 1965.[6] The first Transall C-160s were delivered in April 1968.[4]
Air Transport Wing 62 was disbanded in September 1971 but was re-established in October 1978 when Pilot Training School "S" at Wunstorf Air Base was reclassified as Air Transport Wing 62. Following the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, the wing flew 1,859 humanitarian aid missions in Ethiopia and Sudan from March until September 1985.[7] During the Gulf War Air Transport Wing 62 assisted the coalition forces by providing logistic support.[8] It also flew missions to provide humanitarian aid to Kurdishrefugees in northern Iraq and Turkey in 1990.[9]
After the German reunification in 1990, the wings of the former East German Air Force were integrated into the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). To this effect new wings, now under the command of the Luftwaffe, were created. One such wing was Air Transport Wing 65 based at Brandenburg-Briest Air Base and flying Mil Mi-8helicopters. This wing was disbanded in January 1993 and reformed as an air transport detachment. This detachment subsequently became subordinate to Air Transport Wing 62. In September 1993, Helicopter Transport Wing 64, based at Ahlhorn Air Base, was also disbanded, and 35 Bell UH-1D helicopters were integrated into Air Transport Wing 62.[10]
Bell UH1-D of Air Transport Wing 62Coat of arms of the Training Inspectorate
The wing took over Holzdorf Air Base in January 1994 where a squadron of the former Helicopter Transport Wing 64 and other airforce units, formerly based at Brandenburg-Briest Air Base, were stationed. They formed Air Transport Detachment of Air Transport Wing 62. This detachment was responsible for air transport missions within the SAR commands at Holzdorf and Erfurt, as well as the emergency services centre at Neustrelitz. In the following years, these helicopters took part in several SAR missions both within Germany as well as abroad, notably during the 1997 Central European flood and the 2002 European floods.[11]
Between 1996 and 2004, Air Transport Wing 62 was part of SFOR, the NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war and continues to support KFOR, the NATO mission to establish a secure environment in Kosovo.[7] During the 2000 Mozambique flood, Air Transport Wing 62 was employed to fly supplies into affected areas of the country.[9]
In November 2004, plans by the Federal Ministry of Defence were released to replace the wing's Transall C-130s and Bell UH-1Ds, with Airbus A400M[13] and NHIndustries NH90.[14] According to the original planning, the Airbus A400AM should have been brought into service within a few years. However, due to technical problems the first aircraft of the new type were expected to enter service not before November 2014.[15] Air Transport Wing 62 will be the only wing within the German Air Force to fly the Airbus A400M.[16]
On 1 October 2010, the helicopter detachment based at Holzdorf Air Base was disbanded and re-established as Helicopter Wing 64. Since then, Air Transport Wing 62 has only operated fixed-wing aircraft.[17]
Over the period 22–26 February 2011 Air Transport Wing 62 took part in Operation Pegasus, evacuating foreign nationals during the Libyan Civil War, during which they were credited with rescuing 262 persons.[18]
The first aircraft Airbus A400M entered service with Air Transport Wing 62 on 19 December 2014.[19] The last Transall left Wunstorf in July 2015.[1] By December 2019 Air Transport Wing operated 31 Airbus A400M.[20]
Accidents and incidents
On 11 May 1990, while on a low-level training flight a Transall C-160 crashed near Rodenbach[21] in the German state of Hesse due to poor visibility. All ten occupants were killed.[22]
The coat of arms used by Air Transport Wing 62 originally belonged to Pilot Training School "S" but was adopted by the wing when it took off over the school ïn 1971. It depicts a blindfoldedraven in flight on a shield held in azure. The azure represents the medium of the air in which the wing operates. The raven is an adaption of the cartoon character "Hans Huckebein" by the influential German caricaturist and painterWilhelm Busch who was born close to Wunstorf Air Base in nearby Wiedensahl, also used for the designation of Focke-Wulf's never built, 1945-era Ta 183 jet fighter concept. Choosing "Hans Huckebein" for its coat of arms, the wing manifests its attachment and commitment to Wunstorf. The blindfold symbolises the fact that Air Transport Wing 62 carries out instrument training for instrument flights on fixed-wing aircraft.[24]
Related Research Articles
The Airbus A400M Atlas is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military, now Airbus Defence and Space, as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities to replace older transport aircraft, such as the Transall C-160 and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The A400M is sized between the C-130 and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. It can carry heavier loads than the C-130 and can use rough landing strips. In addition to its transport capabilities, the A400M can perform aerial refueling and medical evacuation when fitted with appropriate equipment.
The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is a German 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. 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 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 Belgian Air Component is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force. It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services.
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.
Landsberg-Lech Air Base is a former 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.
Laupheim Air Base is a German Air Force base located close to the city of Laupheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is home to Helicopter Wing 64 which has 48 of its 60 helicopters stationed at the airbase together with 1,200 personnel.
Faßberg Air Base is a Bundeswehr base 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 (Heer) and the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). Its main user is the German Army Aviation Corps.
Orléans – Bricy Air Base is a French Air and Space Force (ALAE) base. The base is located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north-northwesst of Ingré near the city of Orléans; about 65 miles (105 km) south-southwest of Paris, France.
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 and 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.
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.
Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 25 was a regiment in the German Army, part of the German Army Aviation Corps. It was based at Kurt Georg Kiesinger Barracks on Laupheim Air Base in the German state of Baden Württemberg, Southern Germany. The regiment was founded in 1971 and disbanded on 31 December 2012. Its sister regiment was Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 15 based at Rheine Air Base.
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.
The Bundeswehr Technical and Airworthiness Center for Aircraft or is one of several testing centres of the German Armed Forces. Its tasks are the testing and evaluating of military aircraft and aerial weapon systems. The centre is also responsible for certifications and inspections of modifications made on aircraft already in service with the German Armed Forces. The Bundeswehr Technical and Airworthiness Center for Aircraft is not integrated into the command structure of the military branches of the German Armed Forces but is a branch of Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support which is directly subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Defence. Founded in 1957, the centre is based at Manching Air Base. The unit has a strength of about 650 personnel, 50 of which are members of the armed forces, the rest are civilian.
On 9 May 2015, an Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft on a test flight crashed at La Rinconada, Spain, less than 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Seville Airport at around 1:00 pm local time, killing 4 of the 6 crew.
Air Transport Wing 63 was a wing of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). The wing was created in 1957 and was last based at Hohn Air Base in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, operating the last German Transall C-160 fixed-wing aircraft.
The Executive Transport Wing of the Federal Ministry of Defence is a flying formation of the German Air Force with a wide variety of tasks. Occasionally it is ambiguously listed as the Special Air Missions Wing in English language articles. The wing is based at Cologne Bonn Airport with Berlin Tegel Airport used as a location for its helicopters. It is planned to bring the two operating locations together at Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
Air Transport Wing 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.
References
1 2 "Der Auftrag", Das Lufttransportgeschwader 62 (in German), Federal Ministry of Defence, 28 August 2015, retrieved 3 January 2016
↑ "Hilfseinsatz in Algerien", Geschichte der Luftwaffe – Die Jahre 1960 bis 1969 (in German), Federal Ministry of Defence, 7 August 2012, retrieved 11 March 2013
Lemke, Bernd; Krüger, Dieter; Rebhan, Heinz; Schmidt, Wolfgang (2006), Die Luftwaffe 1950 bis 1970. Konzeption, Aufbau, Integration (in German), München: Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, ISBN3-486-57973-8
Ahrens, Hans-Werner (2019). Die Transportflieger der Luftwaffe 1956 bis 1971. Konzeption - Aufbau - Einsatz (in German). Norderstedt: Carola Hartmann Miles-Verlag. ISBN978-3-9458-6185-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Germany 
Campaign streamer 
Campaign streamer
