Page 13 - Air Forces Monthly - September 2017

EXERCISE Balkan Spartan 2017

C-27J school in Sofia

This year’s Balkan
Spartan air training
exercise saw three
C-27J operators train
shoulder to shoulder in
Bulgaria, as Alexander
Mladenov reports.
are an integral part of the
event, flew on board during
operations. As experienced
pilots or loadmasters, they also
evaluated crew performance
and monitored adherence
to flight safety standards.
The missions were of medium
difficulty, covering a set of tactical
air transport mission profiles.
Requirements included low-
level tactical navigation down
to 300ft (91m) above terrain;
T he second annual Balkan Above: The international Spartan group was parked on the ramp at simulation of cargo drops at
Vrazhdebna/Sofia Airport North Side to facilitate joint ground operations,
Landing Zone (LZ) ‘Africa’ on
Spartan multinational
including servicing and loading/offoading practice. All photos, Alexander Mladenov
air training exercise took
airfield near Plovdiv; aeromedical
place between June 7 and 16 at Below: A Bulgarian C-27J crew prepares the cockpit for departure on June the abandoned Tcheshinigirovo
14. The mission involved dropping paratroops from the Bulgarian special
Vrazhdebna/Sofia Airport North operations forces at LZ ‘Africa’. evacuation; and paratroop
Side in Bulgaria, hosted by the 16. jumps using a static line.
Transportna Aviacionna Grupa The Spartans also practised
(16th Transport Aviation Group) tactical approaches and
of the Bulgarski Voennovazdushni departures from LZ Africa’s semi-
Sili (BVVS, Bulgarian Air Force). prepared concrete airstrip, which
Three NATO C-27J Spartan is some 2,620ft (800m) in length.
operators took part: host nation The first Balkan Spartan,
Bulgaria, Italy and Lithuania. held in Bulgaria in July 2016,
Romania was unable to allocate involved Bulgarian, Italian and
an aircraft for the event, while Romanian aircraft. The event
Slovakia – awaiting its first delivery is set to become a fixture in the
– took part with observers. European Spartan community’s
The main aim, according calendar, affording flexible and
to exercise director Colonel tailored training opportunities
Rumen Kondev from the BVVS for less experienced tactical
Command, is to improve air transport crews. AFM
co-operation and interoperability Lithuanian Air Force C-27J ‘07 Blue’ (c/n 4139) ‘Algirdas’. Lithuania operates
between participating nations. three Spartans delivered in December 2006, December 2008 and October 2009.
The event also sought to They serve with the Transporto Eskadrile at Šiauliai-Zokniai.
exchange experience in
maintenance, loading/offloading
of cargoes and reconfiguration
of the C-27J’s cargo hold
for different missions.
All tactical flying took place in
southern Bulgaria, mainly around
Plovdiv, the host nation providing
vast blocks of airspace free from
civilian traffic at ultra-low and
low level over mountainous and
flat terrain – plus a dedicated
drop zone, an aeromedical team
and special forces paratroops.
The three Spartans flew one
mission of around 2 hours’
duration each day. Mentors
from the three nations, who

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