The fleet of three C-17s operated by the multinational Heavy Airlift Wing at Papa AB, Hungary, has reached 3,000 flight hours, less than 18 months into its existence. Members of the wing, which the 12 participating NATO and partner nations activated in July 2009, had accumulated 1,000 flight hours back in February and needed only until Dec. 7 to triple that mark. “The amount of flight hours shows that the HAW is definitely becoming a fully operational unit,” said Air Force Col. John Zazworsky, HAW commander, in a Papa release. He added, “We have well-trained crews and the maintenance of the planes is running smoothly.” Among their missions in 2010, HAW aircrews supported earthquake-relief activities in Haiti and post-flood assistance in Pakistan. December is slated to be the wing’s busiest month yet, with 378 flight hours projected by month’s end.
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.