By Emily Fei in London
The FIFA 2006 World Cup football championship is one of the most heavily-protected sports events in the world. German cities hosting games have seen a huge influx of police for crowd control, international cooperation to prvent known soccer holligans from attending games and the use of NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&C Force).
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The Boeing E3-A and E-3D surveillance aircraft are being used to prevent possible terrorist attempts during the tournament. The E3, a modified 707, is used by NATO forces for surveillance. One E3-A operating at 30,000ft (900m) can identify the movements of aircraft at all altitudes within a range of 200nm (360km). The NAEW&C Force comprises two main groups: the complete NATO-flagged E3-A Component at NATO air base Geilenkirchen, Germany, consisting of 17 aircraft opertated by multinational crews; and the E3-D Component at the Royal Air Force's Waddington Station, whose seven aircraft and crews are from the UK.
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In the lead up to the final game on 9 July, the German government has a series of anti-terrorist measures in place. Although the aircraft have been used throughout the tournament. Capt Robert Firman, NAEW&C chief public information officer, says that to date the project had been running “smoothly”, and that no problems have occurred. NATO action is determined by instructions from the German authorities, following an assessment of the situation in Germany.
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No additional measures have been confirmed for the semi-finals and finals of the World Cup.
Source: Flight International
