The 86th Airlift Wing; Ramstein Air Base, July 26, 2002

The Transport Hub in Europe; Text and Photograph's by Alex van Noye

The 86th Airlift Wing is based at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and is equipped with various tran- sport aircraft. The main aircraft is the Lockheed C-130E Hercules which is assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron. Furthermore, the unit has the C-20 Gulfstream and the C-21 Learjet which are assigned to the 76th Airlift Squadron. Ramstein Air Base is located in the south of Germany and is the largest American air base outside the United States. Besides the based aircraft, the AMC (Air Mobility Command) of the USAF is using Ramstein daily for many trans-Atlantic flights and flights to the Mid- dle East. The aircraft often fly to the former Yugoslavia to provide the army of materials in this country.