The Academy brought together more than 2,600 people, including civilians and military personnel, to its facilities for Operations Zeus and Saci and the Military Affairs Correspondents’ Internship.
Air Force Agency – Lieutenant Chayanne and Lieutenant Trindade
The Air Force Academy (AFA), located in the city of Pirassununga (SP), hosted the 5th phase of Operation Zeus, which was part of the Contractual Operational Assessment of the KC-390 Millennium. The stage, which took place between August 18 and 24, was supported in parallel by Operation Saci, an annual airborne training exercise by the Parachute Infantry Brigade (BDA INF PQDT) of the Brazilian Army (EB), in airborne assault, infiltration and exfiltration.
According to the General Coordinator of Operation Zeus and Deputy Technical Manager of the KC-30 and KC-390 Projects, Lieutenant-Colonel Engineer Marco Aurélio Carvalho, the AFA was the perfect choice for this stage of the Operational Assessment, as it brought together a number of important characteristics for carrying out the tests.
On Sunday (19/08), the KC-390 Millenium aircraft took off, registered FAB 2854 and FAB 2857, respectively from the First Troop Transport Group (1º GTT) – Zeus Squadron and the First Squadron of the First Transport Group (1º/1º GT) – Gordo Squadron, with 128 Army paratroopers, backpacked, equipped and armed to perform the jump hooked through the side door.
According to the Zeus Squadron pilot, Captain Andrey Franklin Lima, these actions are very important in a real situation, because with these new systems it is possible to winch a paratrooper who is trapped by the door back into the aircraft. “We were training to check that the procedures in the aircraft’s manual are feasible and to suggest possible improvements to Embraer. On this flight, everything went well,” he said.
The Commander of the Folding, Parachute Maintenance and Air Supply Battalion (B DOMPSA), Lieutenant-Colonel Rodrigo Tavares Ferreira, stressed that the aircraft is fulfilling its purpose well.
The Military Affairs Correspondents Internship (ECAM) 2023 was also held, in which students from the journalism course at the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas (PUC Campinas) were able to record and apply technical and scientific knowledge during the training alongside the troops.
Macaw Squadron
The First Squadron of the Ninth Aviation Group (1º/9º GAV) – Arara Squadron, also took part in Operation Saci between August 19 and 22, launching paratroopers and cargo.
The paratrooper launches were carried out using the hooked jump and free jump processes. As for the cargo launches, in addition to the conventional launching processes, for the first time a vessel was launched using a high-speed parachute, followed by the paratrooper jump, with the aim of developing doctrine and maximizing operability.
“It’s very gratifying to have taken part in Operation Saci together with the Army, as it’s an opportunity to exchange knowledge and doctrine between brothers-in-arms,” said one of the C-105 Amazonas pilots, Captain Marcelo Lessa da Silva Júnior.
Photos: Soldiers H. Pereira and Adher / EB and Arara Squadron