On July 6 Lithuanians relaxing on the shore of Lake Daugai had an opportunity to view a relatively rarely demonstrated combat training episode - a helocast exercise. Surprised by the sound of helicopters vacationists hurried out of the water and rushed to shoot the unexpected scene of troops jumping out of helicopters into the lake with any smart phone at hand.
A helocast exercise in Lake Daugai involved roughly 100 soldiers, approx. 30 of them with the Lithuanian Grand Duchess Birutė Uhlan Battalion, Lithuanian Land Force (based in Alytus) with the battalion commander Major Darius Bernotas in the front line, and another 70 troops from Company D, 1st Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, USAREUR, on a rotating presence in Lithuania. The training event was supported with UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters by the 12th Air Support Brigade, U.S. Army Europe.
According to instructors, each soldier jumping out of the helicopter hovering at about 5-meter altitude had to reach the shore lying roughly 30 meters away as quickly as possible. All of that in full BDU, i.e. including boots, jackets, and pants.
In preparation for the helocasting exercise the soldiers did some jumping into the lakelet of Dailidė. That task encompassed diving at least 5 meters, then swimming another 25 and staying in the water for 5 minutes, the minimum requirements for completing a helocast exercise.
Lithuanian Land Force's soldiers and U.S. troops are taking part in combined training and improving interoperability since early June. This week the combined training activities involve air support.
According to the organizers of the training, the exercise aims at testing and improving interoperability of allied units in non-standard operations.
1st Lt. Andrius Dilda, PIO for the Non-kinetic Operations Section, HQ Lithuanian Land Force
Phone no. 00370 5 273 8596, 00370 640 45 380, email: andrius.dilda@mil.lt.
Photo credits: A. Dilda and I. Budzeikaitė
