A fleet of 16 battlefield helicopters have deployed to Eastern Europe to take part in the largest NATO exercise since the cold war.
Three Royal Air Force Chinooks along with nine Apaches and four Wildcats from the British Army deployed from Wattisham Flying Station in Suffolk to train alongside NATO allies in Finland and Estonia.
Labelled Exercise Swift Response, it is part of the larger NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender that is taking place throughout 2024 and has 20,000 British personnel being part of the 90,000 troops involved from all 32 members of the alliance.
The three helicopter types will take part in air assault operations which will see troops and equipment lifted by Chinooks, and Wildcat surveillance equipment working with the Apache advanced suite of sights and sensors to find and strike targets on the battlefield.
Frontline helicopters from all three services work together under the Joint Aviation Command or JAC. This deployment will be joined by the Puma Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) operated by 32 Regiment Royal Artillery as part of JAC’s newly formed UAS Group.
