Amari Air Base, Estonia – The first exercise
Ramstein Alloy was launched at the Estonian base where Belgian F-16 fighter
aircraft execute NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.
During the two-day event, Allies Estonia, Lithuania,
Belgium, Spain, Poland and the United States as well as Partners Finland and Sweden
controlled by the Control and Reporting Post (CRP) Amari, a United Kingdom E-3D
plane and Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem, Germany, trained cooperation
and coordination of quick response and other air-to-air drills.
Besides the training activities, day one was reserved for a
media day with international journalists. Several of them flew on a Lithuanian
C-27 transport aircraft which was intercepted by Finnish F-18s and,
subsequently, by Belgian F-16s after a simulated loss of communications with
civilian air traffic control.
Once the C-27 was safely escorted back to Amari, a static
display was staged by Belgian, Spanish, Polish and Finnish jets as well as a
NATO E-3A plane. All these aircraft provided the backdrop for media interviews
with members of the participating nations and Host Nation representative Colonel
Jaak Tarien, the Estonian Air Chief, and Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) Representative,
Italian Air Force Brigadier General Roberto di Marco.
"Ramstein Alloy 1, like its predecessor Baltic Region
Training Events (BRTEs) is a tactical training that has a strategic meaning,”
said General di Marco who is the Deputy Commander of AIRCOM’s Deployable Air
Command and Control Centre at Poggio Renatico, Italy. "It is important to coordinate
Allied and Partner aircraft and integrate air command and control units, the CRP
Amari and the airborne control platforms and civilian air traffic control to
gain flexibility in employing air power. This first Ramstein Alloy has been
another big opportunity to see our Allies and Partners cooperate and to
reinforce our visibility here in the Baltic States.”
Colonel Jaak Tarien also praised the new event that
continues the eight-year successful BRTE history. "Routine is not exciting, but
I am excited to see this routine flying exercise Ramstein Alloy unfold for the
first time in Estonia,” he said. "I am pleased to host this multinational exercise
with all these Allied and Partner assets launched out of Amaria so effectively allowing
us to further train our quick response procedures.
The event continues on 20 April repeating the same drills to
further expand the benefit of training to both Allied and Partner aircrews as
well as air controllers at the various levels of NATO air command and control
agencies. AIRCOM will continue to organise these events as transparent and
predictable exercises enhancing relations among regional air forces.