It was the birth of the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) biggest training activity to date, encompassing three separate workstrands: the Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) including, as subprojects, the Composite Air Operations (COMAO) planning course and the Electronic Warfare (EW) course; the Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course (HTIC) and the Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC).
A decade later, the result is impressive: some 300 helicopters, 3,000 aircrew and over 12,000 military staff participated in training and exercises held under the Agency’s auspices in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Belgium, Hungary and
the Czech Republic. 834 aircrew members from 17 countries have graduated from the 66 EDA Helicopter Tactics Courses performed. In addition, 100 helicopter crew members from six different countries have graduated from the Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course.
Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP)
With 14 Member States participating (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Slovenia and Norway), the HEP improves the operating skills of helicopter crews across Europe which, in turn, helps to increase the EU’s deployable helicopter capability for contingency operations.
It is built on three main pillars: use of common Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (HEP Standard Operating Procedures or HEP SOP) for the performance of all our training, the annual helicopter tactics symposium and the delivery of yearly multinational helicopter exercises.>/p>
The latter are the most visible part of the HEP: its annual ‘BLADE’ exercises are not only impressive by the numbers of participating helicopters and crews from across the continent but also by the added value they provide to Member States.
13 exercises have taken place so far (the total would stand at 14 had SWIFT BLADE 2020, initially planned to be hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium in April of this year and expected to become the largest and most complex Blade ever performed, had not cancelled its Live Exercise phase (LIVEX) due to Covid-19 crisis):
- GAP 09 in France, the first exercise attended by five countries (Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, France and Hungary) focused on training in a hot and high environment
- AZOR 10 in Spain provided hot, high and dust training to a high number of crews many of which were later deployed to Afghanistan/ISAF
- ITALIAN CALL 11 in Italy trained multinational crews and staff to operate in a hot, dry and dusty environment adopting common procedures. The focus was laid on crisis response operations with the ISAF theatre used as exercise scenario
- HOT BLADE 12 in Portugal introduced COMAO training and included over-watch missions to replicate operational practices
- GREEN BLADE 12 in Belgium included special operations for the first time and was an integrated ground and air exercise
- HOT BLADE 13 in Portugal further developed COMAO planning, execution and evaluation in a hot, high and dusty environment. HEP SOP were introduced for the first time as a common rule. A mentor team consisting of HTIC graduates was used to provide expertise
- HOT BLADE 14 in Portugal focused on joint interoperability training with a setup similar to previous editions. Mentor team tasks and responsibilities were expanded
- ITALIAN BLADE 15 in Italy continued to develop joint interoperability training through the integration of multinational elements, both in air and on the ground, in a hot and dusty environment
- COLD BLADE 16 in Finland focused on flying in demanding cold and snowy conditions
- BLACK BLADE 16 in Belgium focused on joint interoperability training with special operation forces
- FIRE BLADE 17 in Hungary focused on live firing. European helicopter units executed national training combined with challenging COMAO scenarios in Hungarian training and shooting ranges
- HOT BLADE 18 in Portugal continued to focus on COMAO training in a hot and dusty environment and also included evasive training and electronic warfare threats
- DARK BLADE 19 in the Czech Republic continued to enhance multinational interoperability on COMAO with the performance of complex mission involving multiple threats in air and on the ground, with the use of HEP SOP and support by EDA mentor team.
Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC)
The course, which currently involves seven countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden), delivers operational helicopter tactics training for crews preparing for deployment. It focuses on the crews’ understanding of a constantly changing operational environment, providing them with modern cognitive training necessary to cope with those challenges. The course consists of both theoretical lessons and realistic missions conducted in a synthetic environment, using a dedicated advanced helicopter mission simulator. To date, 834 crew members from 17 different countries have gone through this training.
Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course (HTIC)
Given the high demand in HEP and HTC trainings, the need arose to create additional capacities by ‘training new trainers’ in the Member States. Hence the launch of the Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course providing national aircrews with the skills and knowledge to deliver tactics and training within their own organisations and to assist in the delivery of the HEP, HTC and HTIC. Successful graduates are awarded a qualification mutually recognised by Member States. The best of them can be part of the EDA Chief Instructor Team which delivers some of the Agency’s helicopter training, provides expertise, leads the mentor team during the exercises and updates the HEP SOP.
To date, six HTIC courses have been delivered with, as a result, some 100 qualified instructors operating in their respective countries. 2020 HTIC, which was expected to be performed this year also had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis effects.
COMAO Planning Course
They usually run for two weeks and cover both theoretical and practical Composite Air Operations planning with a focus on rotary operations. The trainees are mentored and instructed by Helicopter Tactics Instructors and other selected specialists. The course is also joined by aircrew and specialists from numerous other platform types including fast-jets, AWACs, Attack Helicopters and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).
So far, four such courses have been delivered; they will be held in the future twice a year.
Electronic Warfare (EW) Course
The two-week course aims to provide selected personnel with an understanding of the basic theory of on ground and airborne EW systems and threats. The syllabus includes basic EW theory and doctrine, Radio Frequency (RF) and Infra-Red (IR) threats, warning systems and countermeasures. It also covers general principles of employment of aircraft equipment and Defensive Aids Systems (DAS) and addresses interoperability issues. Whilst the focus is on rotary issues, a range of other platforms, both land and air based, are studied throughout the course. To date, three EW courses have taken place; they will be held in the future twice a year.