Blade 2015 underway in Italy
The European Defence Agency's (EDA) Blade Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) is underway in Italy. More than 1,000 military personnel and 30 helicopters have come together in Viterbo, 80km north of Rome, for Italian Blade 2015.
Italian Blade 2015 is Europe's largest military rotary-wing exercise to take place in 2015, with crew from seven nations training together on joint tactics and procedures.
The first three Blade HEP events were conducted in Portugal in 2012, 2013 and 2014. For this year, Italian Army Aviation in Viterbo is hosting the exercise.
The two-week exercise will see ground forces and helicopter crews taking part in joint missions with the aim of maximising interoperability. A mentor team of six instructors from the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany will support the crew in preparing for and executing the missions.
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