This year the European Defence Agency organised another helicopter exercise for contributing member states. Kees Otten and Wim Das report.
EXERCISE REPORT FIRE BLADE 17
FIRE BLADE 17 (FB17) took place in Hungary, and made use of some of the most realistic training areas in Europe. Live-firing exercises formed an integral part of Fire Blade, which attracted 14 helicopters and around 500 personnel from five member states to Pápa air base from May 1-12.
A total of eight combined air operations (COMAOs) were scheduled. Separate training flights in the morning were followed by COMAOs in the afternoon, as well as further training flights during the hours of darkness to train with night-vision goggles (NVGs).
The live-firing exercises were performed day and night on the huge Várpalota range, mostly using NATO-standard 7.62mm (0.3in) calibre machine guns. During a 2.5hr flight by a Hungarian Air Force Mi-17, four gunners kept up their currency with both gunnery and by firing 57mm (2.24in) S-5 rockets from UB-32A-57 pods. Together, the participating nations fired more than 40,000 projectiles, including 27,350 rounds and 480 unguided rockets in nine days of flying.
Várpalota was also the location for one of the m…
