Two C-17 Globemaster III aircrafts from the Strategic Aircraft Capability (SAC) operating from the Papa Air Base in Hungary and one C-27J Spartan aircraft of the Romanian Air Force carried out, on Thursday, August 11, and Friday, August 12, emergency air missions initiated from Otopeni and Timisoara airports to an air base in the Bordeaux area, to transport Romanian rescue firefighting teams, together with the related equipment - 77 rescue firefighters and 17 means of intervention, which will support, in the following period, the intervention forces in France, in order to limit the forest fires spread that occur during this period.

The two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft took off from Otopeni airport on Thursday, August 11, around 10:00 p.m., and from the Timisoara airport on Friday, August 12, around 5:00 p.m., while the C-27J Spartan aircraft took off in the morning of August 12, from Otopeni airport, stopped over in Timisoara and then left to France around 10:00 a.m.

The execution of the two flights with the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft was requested by the Ministry of National Defense, within the quota of flight hours allocated to Romania, as a member state of SAC.

Following the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), through the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), in its capacity as the national contact point, received from the Emergency Response Coordination Center of to the European Commission (ERCC), through CECIS, the request of the French authorities for the granting of international assistance, given the emergency situation generated by the spread of forest fires on their territory.

The decision to send the forces and means of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations to France was taken within the National Committee for Emergency Situations, convened on Thursday, August 11, by the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, at the proposal of the DSU, and after consultation with the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis.


***


In 2008, Romania along with nine NATO states (Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, USA and Hungary) signed, as founding member, the Memorandum of Understanding to set up Strategic Aircraft Capability (SAC).

In the present context, when many European countries are facing wildfires, Romania has responded the requests from Greek authorities, formulated through the EU Civil Protection Civil Mechanism, by sending specialized intervention teams.

This year, in July, Romanian Air Force aircrafs have also intervened in forest fire-fighting in Slovenia, the third mission of this type after those carried out in Greece (2018) and North Macedonia (2021).

The Press Office