Deployed personnel from the RAF have been involved in a joint exercise alongside military personnel from the US Forces, including the US Black Hawk Squadron, to realistically simulate a downed aircraft involving mass casualties.
Personnel from 135 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) have been deployed to Romania to conduct the NATO ‘Enhanced Air Policing’ mission. The EAW personnel work and live alongside members of the Romanian Air Force and the various US Forces who are also operating out of Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.
135 EAW and US Forces personnel used the opportunity to train together in this simulated Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) Exercise, to provide realistic training based on integration between the two NATO forces on previous operations.
A Eurofighter Typhoon pilot from 1(Fighter) Squadron deployed as part of 135 EAW, provided Close Air Support, whilst 135 EAW personnel acted as wounded soldiers and air crew on the ground. The deployed RAF Medical Team jumped on board with crews of US personnel from two HH-60 Black Hawks, to intercept the “Crash Site”, attend to the staged Casualties and finally evacuate them to the Medical Facility.
Squadron Leader Andrew Blyth, the deployed RAF Doctor attached to 135 EAW, liaised with the US Black Hawk Squadron during the planning phase for the Joint Exercise. He said: “This exercise has taken a lot of planning from all sides, but the value of training closely with our US allies in a realistic mass casualty scenario makes it all worthwhile. Interoperability between the UK and US Medical teams has been instrumental in the past, and maintaining the ability to work together is crucial for potential future operations.”
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