CINCU, Romania -- Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, completed their part in Noble Jump 17, here, Jun. 14, 2017, after two weeks of aviation support at Cincu Training Area for Exercise Noble Jump 17. Noble Jump 17 is an exercise designed to test the core elements of NATO's Readiness Action Plan (RAP) by a rapid deployment of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).
During their two weeks in Romania, the aviation Task Force from the 12th CAB flew over 180 flight hours and transported 1240 NATO Soldiers in support of the VJTF. The missions included landing zone and pick up zone reconnaissance, close air support, close combat attack, air assault, and air movements.
Soldiers from British Army's 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade and Grenadier Guards, Polish Soldiers from 10th Mechanized Battalion "Dragons, and Dutch Marines from the 11th Raiding Squadron, worked extensively with the two CH-47 Chinook helicopters from Bravo Company, 1st Bn., 214th Avn. Regt., to improve NATO interoperability during air assault missions.
Several AH-64 Apache pilots trained and embedded with the Romanian Air Defense Artillery (ADA) platoon as opposing force soldiers during a movement to contact and air assault operations. This interaction provided the pilots with first hand knowledge of how ADA soldiers locate and attempt to shoot down attack aviation.
On the maintenance side of the exercise, the Soldiers from Echo Company delivered over 32500 pounds of fuel and loaded 2200 rounds of 30mm. The company also conducted routine and complex maintenance on the AH-64's and CH-47's during the field conditions.
The movement of the 1st Bn., 3rd Avn. Regt., from Katterbach, Germany to Cincu, Romania in less than five days proved to our NATO Allies and Partner Nations that the 12th CAB can self-deploy across Europe in an expeditious manner. The trip covered over 1700 road kilometers and over 28 hours of total driving time.
The 1st Bn., 3rd Avn. Regt., has been an integral part of the VJTF since its inception in 2014. The VJTF is the land component of NATO's enhanced NATO Response Force and is designed to enhance the Alliance's collective defense and ensure that NATO has the right forces in the right place at the right time.
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The 12th Combat Aviation Brigade trains and conducts aviation support across the full spectrum of unified land operations for United States Army Europe, European Command, NATO, and in support of CENTCOM, AFRICOM and other contingency locations around the globe.
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