Multinational Helicopter Exercise HOT BLADE 2012

Portugal will host HOT BLADE 2012, a multinational helicopter exercise, from 4 to 18 July 2012, based at Ovar Military Airfield, near Porto, Portugal. Delivered by the Portuguese Air Force and supported by Luxembourg, HOT BLADE 2012 is part of the European Defence Agency's Helicopter Training Program.

The exercise is being designed to allow European helicopter crews to practice operations in a hot, high and dusty environment, simulating the challenge and the dynamic conditions that participant forces will encounter when they deploy to a current theatre of operation.

Besides the focus on flying in challenging environmental conditions, the exercise will be developed to implement "Joint Interoperability Training" and efforts will be made to maximize integration of joint interoperability tasks, including Air Assault (AA), Special Operations Aviation (SOA), Combat Service Support (CSS), Close Air Support (CAS) including Urban CAS and Emergency CAS, Convoy/helicopter escorts, Reconnaissance and Security (R&S) operations, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Personnel Recovery (PR), Military/Non Military extractions (NEO Ops), Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) and Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC).