As the name suggests, Hot Blade is all about helicopter flying in ‘hot and high’ conditions. Kees Otten and Wim Das were in Beja, Portugal, where the local terrain and climate provide an excellent training environment.
Hot Blade 2018 (HB18) was the 12th annual international helicopter exercise organised by the European Defence Agency’s (EDA’s) Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP). HB18 took place at Base Aérea No 11 at Beja in Portugal from May 7-24 and, apart from the hosts, participants came from Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Slovenia. The Czech Republic and Italy provided observers and, in total, around 1,200 personnel took part. The countries taking part may vary, but they share common interests, and sometimes individual nations call for specific scenarios to be included. Exercises of this kind are vital to retain skills and currencies. However, integrating European armed forces also calls for common procedures. This begins with speaking the same operational language and then developing proficiencies in increasingly complex routines. Portugal offers fewer training restrictions than many other European locations and the hot climate resembles conditions in areas such as Afghanistan or Mali.
‘Jedi’ leader
