NATO donates TCA to Aviation Competence Centre

The last remaining E-3A Component Trainer Cargo Aircraft, tail number 20199, lands at Maastricht-Aachen Airport Dec. 22, 2011.
(Photo by Wiel Borghans)

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(Story from E-3A Component Public Affairs Office)

The NATO E-3A Component bid a final farewell to the last Trainer Cargo Aircraft after its 23 years of faithful service on Dec. 22, 2011, at Maastricht-Aachen Airport.

"Over the years, the TCA and the squadron that flew it, served as the workhorse of the E-3A Component and NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force," said Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Schmidt, NAEW&C Force commander. "Today we are decommissioning the last of three NATO Trainer Cargo Aircraft with the handover of tail number 20199. The TCA has flown its last mission for NATO."

The aircraft was handed over by the commander to Aircraft End of Life Solutions, a Dutch firm specialized in the environmentally friendly disassembly and dismantling of aircraft and the performance of related services. AELS in turn handed over part of the airplane to the Aviation Competence Centre for training purposes.

As the prime centre for multi-year professional training courses for trainee aircraft maintenance technicians, the arrival of the TCA is another major step forward for the ACC.

"This 707 aircraft strongly served NATO and it is good to know it will continue to serve others as a maintenance trainer for many in the years ahead," Major General Schmidt said.

The donation of the last TCA will better enable the centre to achieve its international ambition of training a sufficient number of professionally qualified staff for the European market. This involves aircraft maintenance companies working together to provide a "one-stop shop" for aircraft maintenance training.

"This key part of NATO history is given to the Aviation Competence Centre, but it was made possible through the outstanding cooperation of NATO, the Dutch government, the Limburg Development and Investment Company and Aircraft End of Life Solutions," Major General Schmidt said.

The parts of the aircraft that do not go to the centre will be removed by AELS and re-used on other aircraft and the remainder will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.

NATO's TCAs were employed to provide operational transport to the various operational areas and to support humanitarian relief efforts in various locations, including Haiti and Pakistan.

"Today we enter into a new transport era for NATO," Major General Schmidt explained. "Our TCA fleet at Geilenkirchen is now retired."

To replace the functions performed by the TCAs, transport services will be provided under contract by modern airplanes with quieter engines.