RAMSTEIN, Germany – The Czech Armed Forces are hosting the multinational exercise Ample Strike II/Resilient Sky 2022 across the southern parts of the Czech Republic offering theatre-realistic Air-Land Integration (ALI) training.
Exercise Ample Strike offers the training environment for our own and Allied JTACs to maintain critical JTAC skill sets and capabilities
More than 700 participants from the Czech Armed Forces will host approximately 200 international participants from Estonia, Germany, Latvia Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States of America.
A fuel trucks during refuelling operations with a Czech Air Force Mi-17 ŠM helicopter while an Mi-24 is hovering overhead. Photo by Czech Armed Forces.
Six U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters are supporting JTAC training during Ample Strike.
Photo by Czech Armed Forces.
Czech Air Force L-159 light fighter aircraft and other fixed-wing jets are operating with JTACS.
Photo by Czech Armed Forces.
Paratroopers boarding a C-295 CASA transport plane that will drop them for a training mission.
Photo by Czech Armed Forces.
Joint Tactical Attack Controllers (JTAC) teams from the Czech Republic are working their ALI drills with 30 aircraft and helicopters coordinating missions in complex scenarios within a multinational set-up. For the Czech Armed Forces the aim of the exercise is to practice and demonstrate the ability to provide Host Nation Support to the deployed Allied units and aircraft.
During Ample Strike 2022, Czech Mi-171ŠM and Mi-24/35 helicopters, CASA and L-159 fighter aircraft will fly with German PC-9, Tornado and Eurofighter aircraft, Slovak Mi-17 helicopters, Slovenian PC-9 light fighter aircraft and US AH-64 attack helicopters, KC-135 tanker aircraft and F-16 fighter jets.
The exercise is entirely under Czech Armed Forces control via the Air Force Command; planning, coordination and execution of joint Composite Air Operations will also be practiced. For the first time ever, in addition to the local exercise control staff, activities will also be managed by the National Control and Command Centre (ANCC) in Stará Boleslav.
“For the ninth consecutive time, the Czech Armed Force are hosting the international exercise Ample Strike offering the training environment for our own and Allied JTACs to maintain critical JTAC skill sets and capabilities,” said Ample Strike deputy exercise director Colonel Michal Vecheta.
NATO 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 the Ample Strike exercise annually building a reputation for hosting this live-fly and live-fire exercise for NATO and Partner JTACs demonstrating Allied cooperation, cohesion and capabilities.