New Aircraft for the Special Air Mission Wing
Koblenz, 12/14/2007.
Parliamentarians and politicians make regular use of the Special Air Mission Wing of the Federal Ministry of Defence. Six new aircraft are scheduled to be procured for the medium range.
A contract for the modernization of the medium range of the Special Air Mission Wing of the Federal Ministry of Defence was signed at the Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) in Koblenz on
The contract includes the delivery of six new aircraft: two Airbus A319CJ aircraft with 48 seats and four Bombardier GLOBAL 5000 aircraft with 12 seats each. The non-stop operational range of the A319CJ is comparable to the distance Berlin–Beijing while the operational range of the GLOBAL 5000 can be compared to the distance from Berlin to Washington D.C.. In addition to transporting high-ranking parliamentarians and politicians, the aircraft may, within four hours, be retrofitted for air transport of casualties, sick and injured individuals (MedEvac). The contract also comprises the initial pilot and technical personnel training and the establishment of logistic supportability.
As of 2010, the six new aircraft will replace the CHALLENGER fleet of the Wing that has been operating since the 1980s and has recently caught public attention in connection with technical failures. The contract was signed in Koblenz after approval had been given by the German Bundestag Budget Committee on
