The Battle Group Battalion of the 4th Regiment of the British Army Aviation Corps (4 AAC BG) landed with its new AH-64E Apache attack helicopters in Finland to participate in the Exercise Arrow 24. The activity, organized and coordinated by the Armored Brigade (Panssariprikaati) of the Finnish Army, is included within the Steadfast Defender 2024 Exercises, these being the largest deployment of NATO forces since the end of the Cold War.
Accompanying the first deployment of the AH-64E in NATO exercises, the AW159 Wildcat and CH-47 Chinook helicopters joined approximately 130 vehicles and 500 troops, adding engineers and ground support personnel, who will represent the Kingdom United for the duration of the Fiscal Year Arrow 24. These exercises will last a little less than a month in the south of Finland, taking place at the shooting range in the town of Pohjankangas and the Niinisalo training area, where more than 2,600 troops will participate and will then move to Estonia. All activities are framed within Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 where up to 20,000 United Kingdom troops participate out of 90,000 total soldiers belonging to 32 NATO members.
Specifically regarding the participation of means and personnel of the 4 AAC BG, these will operate from the Pirkkala Air Base, between April 25 and May 19. A total of six AH-64E Apaches of the British Army will take to the skies over Finland, while Chinook heavy transport helicopters will be used to transport troops, Wildcats will be used for surveillance and target marking so that the Apaches can proceed to carry out shooting exercises against various types of objectives. To carry out these activities, the British air and ground assets will have the support, as host, of the Satakunta Combat Wing, which is based in the aforementioned air unit.
Lieutenant Colonel Dave Lambert, commander of 4 AAC BG, stated: “This is one of the largest overseas helicopter deployments we have undertaken outside of Iraq and Afghanistan and will almost certainly be the largest most of our people will have done. It provides a powerful contribution to support NATO training in Exercise Steadfast Defender. Led by the next-generation AH-64E Apache, the capabilities we deliver are battle-winning and fully contribute to the combined arms battle.“.
Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 aims to demonstrate the capabilities of the Armed Forces of NATO nations to conduct and sustain complex multi-domain operations, over an extended period, over vast distances. and under various particular geographical environments. The contingents already participating in the operations will be rapidly deployed from different parts of the world, covering areas of North America, Central and Eastern Europe.
*Photographs: British Army.
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