In addition to up to 500 military from across the Czech Armed Force, Allies Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and the United States of America are planning to deploy their JTAC teams and support with aerial platforms. Up to 200 Allied JTACs will be honing their skills coordinating the support from aircraft, helicopters and a remotely piloted aircraft in simulated scenarios supporting troops on the ground. 

We provide challenging theatre-realistic scenarios in an international environment and conduct the training based on extant NATO standards

“For the seventh consecutive time now, the Czech Republic has assembled personnel and materiel support from across our armed forces to offer meaningful training for this critical Air Power capability,” said Colonel Ales Capal, Ample Strike 2020 exercise director. “We are proud to provide challenging theatre-realistic scenarios in an international environment and conduct the training based on extant NATO standards,” he added.

In total 23 Allied aircraft will enable the JTAC training across Czech military training areas in Bohemia. Specifically these are Czech Mi-24 and Mi-171 helicopters and JAS-39 Gripen and L-159 Alca figthters, German Eurofighters, Tornados, Learjet and PC-9B and Slovak Mi-17 helicopters; the United States have announced to support he exercise with a B-52 strategic bomber, a KC-135 tanker aircraft and an MQ-9 Reaper remotely-piloted aircraft. The Czech Gripen fighter jets will also practice air-to-air refuelling operations extending their on-station time to support Ample Strike 20. 

The exercise is hosted and conducted by the Czech Armed Forces and controlled from exercise headquarters at 22nd Helicopter Air Base at Namest.

LNATO Allied Air Command at Ramstein, Germany, is the NATO entity that standardises tactics, techniques and procedures for JTACS and grants NATO accreditation of Allied JTAC programmes. Since 2014, the Czech Republic has conducted this JTAC exercise annually building a reputation for hosting this live-fly and live-fire exercise for NATO and Partner JTACs demonstrating Allied cooperation and capabilities.