AirForces Monthly – September 2019

after converting from the A109.

Debutants are not spared

the most difficult parts but

are teamed with the more

experienced crews. Svoboda

added: “The EDA mentors [from

Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands

and UK] are phenomenal in

bringing people up to the same

standard in the planning and

execution phase.” Mentoring

is an evolutionary process and

it’s a position that Svoboda

hopes the Czech Republic and

Hungary will attain in future.

Ground attack

One of the main areas of focus

during Dark Blade was live firing

and training areas at Boletice,

BĜezina, Libavá and Prostějov

provided an excellent environment

for this. After becoming familiar

with the local terrain, Belgian

A109s, for example, began

to be successfully deployed

for convoy escort with door

gunners scanning the convoy

route for hostile elements.

Participating nations took up firing

practice as required and most

assets practised door-gunnery.

In the second week, the tactical

level moved up to air assaults

on well-defended targets. The

targets were now covered by

anti-aircraft artillery or missiles

so, shortly before attacking, a

specially tasked helicopter acted

in a suppression of enemy air

defences (SEAD) role. The threats

were real, ground units practising

the loading of missiles and guns

and locking on to the helicopters.

Another new dimension was

the presence of four of the VzS

AČR’s L-159 jets from Čáslav,

which joined the helicopters on

exercise in a close support role.

More to come

Speaking at the end of DB

on May 30, the EDA’s project

officer rotary wing, José Pablo

Romera, looked forward to the

establishment of a new European

helicopter school, similar to the

multinational European Tactical

Airlift Centre (ETAC) in Zaragoza.

Romera noted that 18 countries

have already confirmed their

interest in joining the Multinational

Helicopter Training Centre (MHTC)

that will be established by the end

of 2021. Before then, the next

EDA helicopter exercise, Swift

Blade, will be hosted by Belgium

and the Netherlands next year.

Most of the missions were

COMAOs, in this case involving

a Hungarian ‘Hip’ and Luftwaffe

CH-53GS 84+25. One of the HSG

64 aircraft involved in DB19 was

adapted for medical evacuation.

AFM

Above: A combat frogman leaps from the open cabin door of Belgian A109BA

H31 and into a reservoir. Kees Otten and Wim Das Below: The sophisticated

fl ight deck of a Belgian NH90. The helicopter’s fully glass cockpit, which

includes four multifunction displays and standby instruments, is compatible

with NVGs and helmet-mounted display systems. Below right: Czech Mi-24V

serial 7353 makes an interesting contrast with the later-generation Hungarian

‘Hind’. The Czech gunship is operated by the 221. vrtulníková letka (221st

Helicopter Squadron) at Náměšť nad Oslavou. Kees Otten and Wim Das

16 // September 2019 #378 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Exercise

Report

14-16 Blades AFM Sep2019.indd 16 8/5/2019 9:36:04 AM