Hungarian soldiers return, HAW reaches 4,000 flight hours

Published April 5, 2011
Heavy Airlift Wing Public Affairs

PÁPA AIR BASE, Hungary -- More than 118 Hungarian soldiers returned home to Pápa Air Base from their ISAF mission in Afghanistan on April 1 and on that same redeployment flight the Heavy Airlift Wing reached 4,000 flight hours.

The HAW had an intense winter - it reached 3,000 flight hours in early December 2010, so a thousand more came a little sooner than expected.

"Such intensity is not possible at all times, but we are content we have been able to fulfill the SAC nations' requests," said U.S. Air Force Col. John Zazworsky, HAW commander.

Strategic Airlift Capability is a cooperative effort of 12 nations: Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States. It is stationed in Pápa Air Base, Hungary.

Since the delivery of the first aircraft in July 2009, the HAW has flown more than 4,000 hours, delivered more than 13,800 tons of cargo, and transported more than 6,000 passengers for in multiple nations including missions to Haiti, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Africa and Europe. More information is available at www.heavyairliftwing.org.