A Turkish Air Force A400M transport aircraft will land at Brize Norton later today carrying a cargo of masks and protective equipment for the UK.

This is the first aid flight to use a Nato call sign – a procedure which expedites air traffic control clearances. What’s known as the RAM, or Rapid Air Mobility initiative, enables the rapid movement of military transport through national airspace by using this code.

The original idea was to help speed things up in the event of a military crisis – but obviously this time the goal is to speed up Covid-19 response and cut bureaucracy. The cargo comprises some 100,000 masks, 50,000 N95 masks, and 100,000 medical PPE suits.