Airlift is a critical capability necessary to ensure a secure Europe. In this content piece, A-400 programme manager Michael Schaefer delivers his thoughts and views on accelerating the procurement of airlifts. He touches upon challenges and opportunities for the industry as well as the importance of the Military Airlift conference. This insider piece is valuable to anyone interested in:

• A-400 programme
• Adapting their company for multinational procurement
• Inner workings of the NSPA
  

Lt. Colonel Marcus Cunningham delivers an insider’s look into the state of airlift over the Pacific. In this piece, he explains the current state of the theatre while also identifying the trends for the military and industry. This content is perfect for anybody interested in learning about regional needs.

Airlift is the lifeblood of military operations. But how do we ensure its effective use when technology outpaces doctrine? In this analysis, we break down the history, purpose, and evolution of airlift capabilities with a focus on logistics and support operations. From cargo flights to autonomous refuelling, one thing is for certain – the airlift of tomorrow is unlike anything seen before.

Key takeaways:

• Technological innovation has blurred the line between traditionally strategic and tactical airlift
• Autonomous UAS will likely change the nature and scope of supply operations
• Decentralized logistics chains have the potential to reshape military supply networks
• Machine learning and AI are poised to automate and streamline logistics planning
  

Why Sponsor Military Airlift? 

Military Airlift is attended by senior officials and decision makers from national air forces and industry, bringing together buyers and suppliers in one location. Defence IQ prides itself on offering international professionals the rare opportunity to meet the right people responsible for major programmes within the airlift community.

At the world’s leading conference for the airlift community, senior commanders, acquisition staff and operators will discuss their airlift requirements and the resulting decisions that are made to help support the demands of their respective armed forces, multinational bodies and government and aid agencies. If you’re looking to introduce your product, grow your brand, or maintain client relations within the airlift market, then you will certainly benefit from joining us at Military Airlift. 

To find out more about sponsorship opportunities, download the sponsorship prospectus >> 

Did you know the biggest challenge that the airlift community faces is interoperability? Defence IQ surveyed a wide range of experts, to highlight the main challenges in the airlift space, which technologies present the most potential and which ones are going to be the focus point of investment in the coming years. These themes will be addressed at this year’s Military Airlift, where top speakers from the military community, multinational organisations and NGOs will focus on improving equipment, capability, strategy and tactics. 

Download the survey results on the right >>

Key benefits of downloading the results:

• Gain insight into the technologies that are seen as the most promising in the airlift space in the coming years
• Learn more about the challenges your peers are facing in the airlift space, which will be addressed at this year’s Military Airlift conference
• Gain knowledge into investment trends of your peers

Key findings of the survey include:

• Only 6% of respondents are extremely satisfied with the operational effectiveness of current airlift capabilities
• Equipment is seen as the most important capability to invest in, above personnel development and procedures
• The pace of progress of technological advancements is more satisfactory in tactical airlift than in strategic airlift
• Modular components and interoperability will see the most investment in the next 5-10 years
• In terms of procuring assets, multi-country interoperable aircraft is the first priority for the airlift community

To learn more about Military Airlift 2019, chaired by Major General (Rtd) Dimitrios Petridis, you can download the agenda here. If you would like a copy to be sent to your inbox, please click here instead. 

Why you should attend Military Airlift:

Improve your access to air-to-air refueling capability by adopting new and innovative A3R technology

Defeat Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2AD) challenges by transforming your tactical training approach

Utilise part-pooling and asset exchange mechanisms to protect your fleet investments and sustain your capability

Deliver cost efficiency for your service by diversifying your capability development strategy across  airchartering, fleet management, acquisition and multinational solutions

In this exclusive interview, Colonel Markus Bestgen, Deputy Commander, Multinational MRTT Unit shares exclusive insight into how the MRTT Partnership looks to expand the scope of air-to-air refueling in Europe, a theme he will elaborate on as a key speaker of this year's conference. 

Download the interview on the right >>

Key benefits of downloading the interview:

• Gain insider’s insight into the MRTT Partnership’s goals
• Understand the current biggest air-to-air refueling challenges for European and NATO members
• Get a preview of the brief Colonel Bestgen will give at this year’s Military Airlift Conference

Download the interview to gain Colonel Bestgen’s answers to the following questions:

• The MRTT partnership created in 2016 by the Netherlands and Luxembourg is formed of five European nations. Could you explain the thought process behind the creation of this partnership and its ultimate goal?
• What are the short, mid and long-term plans for these nations to achieve their goals?
• What are the current biggest challenges for European and NATO nations in terms of air-to-air refueling capabilities during operations?
• Eight Airbus A330 MRTT are expected to be delivered between 2020 and 2022. What impact do you expect these aircraft to have on European air-to-air refueling? 

Colonel Bestgen will speak on expanding the scope of air-to-air refueling in Europe in more details at this year’s Military Airlift, where he will be joined by a panel of senior speakers. To view the full agenda, please click here. 

Get an exclusive preview of the interview below:

Colonel Bestgen: Operating in a fast changing, extremely challenging and complex environment all over the world, the biggest task for all the nations is to stay up-to-date in terms of processes and technologies. Our state-of- the-art aircraft is combined with highly trained personnel to ensure the success of all our missions. These will encompass the fields of air transport, air-to-air refueling and…

In this exclusive interview, Major General (Retd.) Dimitrios Petridis, Former Programme Manager of the Aviation Support Programme Office, NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) discusses the interconnected challenges facing the military airlift community.

He covers the pooling and sharing of resources among Nations which led initially to the establishment of the C-130 Partnership by the NATO Maintenance & Supply Agency, the expansion of its scope through the Fixed Wing Aircraft Partnership, the establishment of the European Air Transport Command and the Movement Coordination Centre Europe. 

Download the interview now >>

Major General (Retd.) answers the following questions:

• Reflecting on previous experiences, what are the biggest points of change (in mentality) within the multinational pooling and sharing initiatives? 
• Responding to current economic and geopolitical context, what do you think the main mission demands are on multinational pooling and sharing initiatives?
• In consideration of these demands, do you believe there is scope for the introduction of part pooling multinational initiatives?
• Most of the current pooling and sharing initiatives seem to be NATO or EU-centric. Do you see potential for collaboration on a global scale?

Get a preview of the interview here:

Major General Petridis: 

“The message here is that the implementation of high-level targets such as the Strategic Airlift Capability can be achieved only by a strong commitment to a multinational cooperation by the various Nations, regardless of the avenue to be chosen (C-17 or A-400M), which is directly related to other very important parameters such as Budget, Timing or support of the local Industry. In either case, consensus is of paramount importance to materialise these high level-targets which in the current case produced successful results for the International Community by both avenues pursued, making thus possible to bridge the gap of the SAC deficit in Europe within the first decade of the 21st century.”