In the midst of the attack on Ukraine, the United States and allies have been providing weaponry and defense capabilities for Ukraine against the Russian onslaught. Most recently, a large airlift operation has been underway to move vast amounts of munitions to Poland and then on to Ukraine. These flights originated from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, which is situated dead-smack in the middle of the United States.
Aircraft participating in this critical airlift mission consisted of at least six USAF C-17s, two civilian carrier 747s, one civilian MD-11, and one USAF C-5M Super Galaxy.
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant which is situated nearby and also in the state of Oklahoma provided the following to Redhome Media.
“McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (MCAAP) receives, stores, ships, produces, renovates, and demilitarizes conventional ammunition. MCAAP provides centralized ammunition management for training ammunition and contingency stocks for Army units in the Southwest region. The United States is committed to strengthening allies and partners worldwide to meet their sovereign self-defense needs and to improve their capabilities to operate with U.S. forces to address shared security challenges.”
The aircraft departing from Tinker Air Force Base on this mission were generally parked and were loaded from the hazardous cargo ramp, with most departing overnight, bound for Rzeszów, Poland (RZE). Some aircraft stopped for fuel enroute.
We are working to confirm that one mission might have been a record-breaking ‘heavy-haul’ for the aircraft type and, if confirmed, will report further on this mission soon.
Finally, this “Midnight Airlift” from Tinker does not represent all of the airlift efforts taking place to bring military aid to Ukraine, as other locations such as Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, are primary load/departure points for weapons cargo being sent or sold to our allies.
