U.S. airmen at Dover Air Force Base load an Atlas Air cargo plane with supplies for Ukraine on May 24, 2021. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]
Key Takeaways:
Three commercial cargo airlines – Atlas Air, Kalitta Air, and National Airlines – are actively ferrying lethal U.S. military equipment to Ukraine.
The cargo includes a range of weaponry such as ammunition for 155mm howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft systems, and other essential equipment.
Dover Air Force Base in Delaware is the central hub for this massive logistics effort, which has seen over 7 million pounds of material shipped to Ukraine on more than 60 flights.
These airlines operate under existing contracts with the Defense Department and are part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Freightwaves.com.
At least three commercial cargo airlines are ferrying lethal U.S. military equipment to Ukraine as part of a massive logistics operation to get weapons to front-line fighters and push back Russian invaders.
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Eric is the Air Cargo Market Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government coverage and news analysis, and was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. Eric is based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com
