Ferreira Gomes (AP) – The Airmobile Assault was carried out on the third day of the Brazil/US Combined Exercise, CORE 23 (Combined Operations and Rotation Exercises), which brings together Brazilian and US troops in the Eastern Amazon region, in Belém (PA), Macapá, Ferreira Gomes and Oiapoque (AP), until November 16.
On Wednesday, November 8, eleven Army Aviation (AvEx) aircraft were deployed in the exercise. In the combined maneuver, the helicopter force took off with 310 troops from both armies. Throughout the morning, six flights were made with the soldiers.
The aim of the Airmobile Assault was to infiltrate the troops from the air, so that the soldiers could conquer a strategic location within enemy territory in a simulated war. The aircraft took off from the Salomão Alcolumbre Aerodrome, in the Curiaú community in Macapá, and landed the troops in the Ferreira Gomes region, where the simulated war is still taking place.
The aircraft used in the training are from five models used by the Brazilian Army Aviation: Black Hawk, Cougar, Jaguar, Pantera K2 and Fennec AvEx. The Army Aviation Commander, Brigadier General Fábio Serpa de Carvalho Lima, spoke about the activity. “It is extremely important for our troops to take part in exercises, whether they are single, joint or, above all, combined exercises, such as this one. Aviation has been present since CORE 21. By carrying out activities in the context of CORE, we have evolved in terms of techniques, tactics and procedures, exchanging experiences with the US Army,” he explained.
External cargo transportation
Also on this third day of Operation CORE 23, the helicopters carried out external load transportation, moving two howitzers to a strategic location, where part of the troops were waiting to receive the weaponry.
Each howitzer transported weighs more than 1,200 kilos. To do the lifting, a team of soldiers from the Air Transport, Supply and Special Aviation Services moved along with the helicopters and prepared the piece with tapes and hooks used to attach the howitzer to the aircraft.
*** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***