The German Air Force started - on EATC arrangement and conduction - the mission of two C-160 Transall ESS transport aircraft for the logistical support of ECOWAS. The two German Transall left the Air Base of Hohn in northern Germany on 17th Janaury at 19:00, being part of the EATC assigned Air Transport Wing 63 (ATW 63). In order to utilize the available cargo space - and on request of the French Air Force - the aircraft made an - extraordinary - turn towards France in order to catch up additional medical supplies for the French Forces.
In France a third Transall of the Bavarian Air Transport Wing 61 was caught up following Friday, while one machine turned back to Germany.
Both machines then headed towards Rabat, the Moroccan capital, in order to be refueled before continuing their mission into Mali.
They reached their destination Bamako with an overnight flight.
After unloading the cargo the Transalls turned over to the international airport of capital Dakar in Senegal.
The airport is home to the Dakar-Ouakam Air Base (French Air Base 160, Base aérienne 160 Dakar-Ouakam), which forms the military section of the airport.
EATC Mission Control confirms the landing of both aircraft on Saturday evening at 22.30 and 22.45 local time in Dakar.
Both airplanes are tasked to transport personell of the ECOWAS to Bamako.
They are not to touch the area of operation in northern Mali.
One week after the leading ATW 61 deployed a third aircraft - a Transall C160D - to Dakar, which is used to bypass
unforseeable technical problems in theatre.
Read more about the ATW 61 here
Read more about the ATW 63 here
Status on evening 9th of February
This article has been updated six times.
Text: Norbert Thomas
Picture: Toni Dahmen