HOT BLADE EXERCISE PORTUGAL             PAGE 1

 
                                                 
Airforces Monthly reports
A very large exercise conductre by EDA 
HB 2014 & MH17
HB 2014 Was overshadowed by the crash of flight MH17 
It was the time that flight MH17 Malaysian Airways was shot out of the air. Amongst others 196 Dutch casualties were counted. 
It was very neat and heartening to see that exercise Hot Blade in Portugal paid respect by lowering the Dutch flag and to pay special attention this
way to this horrible and terroristic act. We sincerely thank you for that. In our minds we took two minutes silence in honour of victims and relatives.

 

HOTBLADE EXERCISE OVAR PORTUGAL

Our compromise:

 
We choose for a compromise. Normally we show the publication on this reference website, and a photographic impression joining.
Since we have so many interesting images (own as well as from EDA, European Defense Agency) we'd like to show you most of it.
It's no use to provide every single image with captions, that would limit us in showing the number of images. 
Therefor we limit the captions and give a minimum on information below the images. This way you can have 'The Max' of it.
We did actually divide the images more or less in groups, a few comments can be read. We hope you like this format.
The complete article in a whole as well can be read at the last page of this publication
 

HOTBLADE: THE CEREMONIAL OPENING

ANDY GREY from EDA held his openingsspeech
Andy is in fact the architect of the exercise
Openingsimpression
Openingsimpression

 SOME CAMP IMPRESSIONS

Press center
The camp was built out of containers. Part of the German camp left picture
The English crews are having a briefing
The Austrian part was located on the other side of the platform
The large maintainance hangar on the field
A view at the camp
Some shadow was no luxury sometimes....
    
The Dutch and the Germans brotherly together (like with football... ;-)
Is it because of the Dutch ? Many people used a bike, they were even for hire !

VIEW ON THE PLATFORMS

Clean the machine ! Guys of the RAF prepare the helicopter for its next flight. Windows clean !
Our guide helped us out extremely well. (m) Thank you Andre !
The FAC and the JTAC have finished the job, they'll ride home and probably will have a nice shower and a cold beer ;)
The German UH-1 Bell's are also prepared for the night after an exhausting day.
The Belgian A-109 in the field, a nice hide-out spot between the grass
The Dutch participated with their Chinooks
The F-16's played a major role in HotBlade as well
...and then there is the Merlin. Giant transport helicopter !
 
Cockpit views
Large interior with many possibilities
The British were explicitly proud in participating in HotBlade with their Puma's
C-295M
The Dutch sold all their P-3C CUP Orions to Portugal and Germany. With the current developments they wish they hadn't ....
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