FORT DRUM, N.Y. (March 25, 2015) -- Flight crews, from the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, or CAB's, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, and 2nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, participated recently in a joint offensive exercise with joint terminal attack controllers, or JTACs, from the Air Force's 20th Air Support Operations Squadron, or ASOS, as well as joint forward observers, or JFOs, from 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams, in the restricted training area north of post.
The exercise, which also incorporated F-16 Falcons from 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard, was designed to enhance communication between aviators and ground forces while conducting realistic training.
"It's not every day that we get to train with JTACs," said 1st Lt. Joseph Lanham, an AH-64D pilot from C Company "Bluemax," 1-10 Aviation Regiment. "Hearing that voice on the other end of the radio and knowing how to communicate with each other is critical to mission success, especially when airspace de-confliction comes into play with the other assets on station."
During the exercise, JTACs, along with their simulated ground force, were infiltrated onto their objective via UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the 2-10 Aviation Regiment to seize a high-value individual's safe house to gather and exploit information about a nearby fictional chemical facility.
Shortly after being inserted, the JTACs were able to identify simulated enemy fighting positions and relay their positions to the AH-64D Apache helicopters from the 1-10 Aviation Regiment circling overhead, as well the F-16 Falcons providing close air support. Ultimately, they were able to achieve their objective of destroying the enemy threat and accomplish the mission.
The training scenario was similar to those typically experienced in theaters, like Iraq and Afghanistan, where airspace de-confliction and the JTAC's ability to direct air assets onto targets are critical to mission success.
In addition to enhancing the communication between aviators and JTACs, the training also provided AH-64D flight crews an opportunity to practice five- and nine-line close-combat attack drills, simulating the release of the aircraft's munitions onto targets on the ground.
"This exercise was a great chance to work on our CCAs [close-combat attacks]," said Capt. Chase Roe, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 10th CAB, and AH-64D Apache helicopter pilot. "We don't get to practice this task as much in garrison, so it was important to us to capitalize on this opportunity and build up confidence."
The 10th CAB aviators were not the only ones to benefit from the exercise; JTACs from the 20th ASOS also were provided a rare training opportunity along with 27 JFOs from 10th Mountain Division.
"The training we did was rare for even the more experienced JTACs," said Capt. Luke Fekete, 20th ASOS A flight commander and a JTAC. "Mic time with pilots is huge for our JTACs in training; [it] is essential for confidence and proficiency."
The success of this joint exercise is expected to lay the groundwork for training events to be executed this spring and summer.
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