The 15th Air Transport Wing ( nl, 15 Wing Luchttransport, french: 15 Wing Transport Aérien) is a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

in the

Air Component The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne bel ...

of the

Belgian Armed Forces The Belgian Defense Forces ( nl, Defensie; french: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became indepen ...

. The 15th Wing's motto is TENACITY, which means; 'the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly / persistence, determination, perseverance' A Sioux Indian chief completes the emblem. The wing comprises two operational squadrons, the 21st Squadron and the 20th Squadron, and a Training & Conversion Unit. 21st Squadron is also known as the Liaison and Long-Haul Flight. It currently operates several types of aircraft: one

Airbus A321 The Airbus A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short to medium range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin engine jet airliners; it carries 185 to 236 passengers. It has a stretched fuselage which was the first derivative of the ba ...

, two Dassault Falcon 7X (rented from Abelag Aviation). 20th Squadron operates 7

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...

military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military aircraft, military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to ma ...

which are currently being replaced by the

Airbus A400M Atlas The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capab ...

. It consists of about 72 crewmembers, making it one of the largest units in the Belgian Air Component.

External links

*Belgian Ministry of Defence
Section of the website about the 15th Air Transport Wing
Wings of Belgium 15th Air Transport Wing Air force transport wings Military units and formations established in 1946 {{Europe-mil-stub