Joint British and US medical evacuation exercise at Romanian Air Base

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania - Personnel from the Royal Air Force detachment in Romania have been involved in a joint exercise alongside military personnel from the United States Forces to realistically simulate a downed aircraft involving mass casualties.

The Royal Air Force personnel have been deployed to Romania to conduct the NATO ‘Enhanced Air Policing’ mission in Romania, working and living alongside members of the Romanian Air Force and the various United States Forces who are also operating out of Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.

"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,” said Squadron Leader Andrew Blyth, the deployed medical officer attached to the Royal Air Force detachment. He liaised with the US Black Hawk Squadron during the planning phase for the Joint Exercise. "Interoperability between the British and the United States medical teams has been instrumental in the past, and maintaining the ability to work together is crucial for potential future operations,” he added.

The exercise scenario involved a Eurofighter Typhoon pilot providing Close Air Support, whilst his team colleagues acted as wounded soldiers and air crew on the ground. The deployed Royal Air Force 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. Deployed Royal Air Force and United States Forces personnel grasped the opportunity to train together in this simulated Medical Evacuation exercise, to provide realistic training based on integration between the two NATO forces on previous operations.

Story by Public Affairs Officer of the RAF enhanced Air Policing detachment in Romania