Soldiers from Company B, 602nd Aviation Support Battalion braved the extreme cold, high winds and the language barrier to conduct a combined downed aircraft recovery demonstration with the 301st ROK Aviation Battalion.

Nine Soldiers from Co. B., led by 1st Lt. Brandon Spence, got the call that a ROK CH-47 Chinook had been downed by simulated small arms fire striking a hydraulic line and a wiring harness. The Downed Aircraft Recovery Team jumped aboard a U.S. UH-60L Blackhawk and took off to repair the Chinook.

Once on the scene, the team set up security around the Blackhawk until it departed the area. They then assessed the damage and began repairing the disabled aircraft. Twenty minutes later, the simulated damage had been repaired, the aircraft was ready to rejoin the fight, and the team was ready for extraction.

This simulated downed aircraft was the culminating event of the combined demonstration. Prior to the event, the commander of Co. B., Maj. David Law, briefed members of the 301st ROK Aviation Battalion on his unit's DART procedures.

After the brief, leaders of the 301st ROK Avn. Bn. and the ROK 2nd Avn. Brigade were shown the new Battle Damage And Repair kits composed of 11 different boxes that can be assembled together to fix any U.S. aircraft that may go down.

Members of the ROK 70th Aviation Support Battalion also attended the briefing. They were on hand to show their BDAR kits, which allowed for members of both armies to come together to show off their abilities, discuss their equipment, and compare tactics and procedures with their ROK or U.S. counterpart.

This is not the first time that the 602nd ASB and the 301st ROK Avn. Bn. have come together to train, discuss maintenance and DART/BDAR operations. This past fall, the 602nd ASB briefed ROK Army commanders on aerial recovery operations.

"This was a great training experience, not only for us, but for the ROK army, and helped the foundation for future training events and it helped to strengthen our relationships between our two battalions and the brigades," Law said.