NATO support for Pope Benedict XVI visit to Poland

Link NATO Airborne Early Warning Control Force E-3A Component

Mons , Belgium -- Aircraft from the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&C Force) will provide airspace surveillance support during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Poland from 25 to 28 May.

At the request of the Polish government, NATO has agreed to augment the air surveillance capability by providing additional low-level coverage and radio relay. The missions will be carried out by NAEW&C Force E3-A Component from its main operating base at Geilenkirchen , Germany. Responsibility to react to any aircraft classified as a threat will remain with Polish authorities.

Since Alliance members started to request air surveillance support in 2001, NAEW&C Force has been assigned this type of mission in more than 30 events, including Pope John Paul funeral in Rome in April 2005 and the Winter Olympic Games in Turin in February 2006. In all, the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force has flown more than 3,000 hours in these missions.

The E3-A aircraft, a modified Boeing 707, is equipped with a radar capable of detecting air traffic over large distances and at low altitudes. One E3-A operating at 30,000 feet generates a clear picture of aircraft movements from high to low altitude to a distance greater than 200 nautical miles (approximately 360 kilometres).

The E3-A Component at Geilenkirchen is composed of 17 aircraft and multinational crews, who represent the highest level of integration achieved by the Alliance.