On July 22 international open sea survival exercise Baltic Bikini 2013 was opened in Klaipėda. At the event over 100 Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian airmen of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian Air Forces will train to conduct maritime rescue operations.
Two Mi-8 helicopters with crews of the Lithuanian Air Force and P-11 "Žemaitis" of the Lithuanian Navy represent Lithuania at the exercise.
Air crews will be training to survive after a forced aquatic landing, their ability to use survival equipment will be tested and details of water survival identified.
Since 2004 Baltic Bikini has been hosted by the Baltic States in turns. The exercise held in the Baltic Sea includes Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian flight crews - pilots, onboard technicians, flight engineers, military medical SAR flight personnel.
The first Baltic Bikini took place Denmark was based on a joint Baltic-Danish project. The project launched in 1999 also provided basis for donations of multiple rescuing equipment to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, training of flight crews for conducting rescue tasks and survival instructors. Since 2004 the Baltic States have begun organising Baltic Bikini independently.
This year the exercise is conducted by the Lithuanian Air Force.
Photos from the LAF archive (author Antanas Gedrimas): Baltic Bikini 2010.
