This week, the 123rd ("Desert Birds") and 190th ("Magic Touch") Squadrons trained together – attack and transport helicopters flying side-by-side. How did they work together to maximize their readiness for combat? Read the following article to find out

Attack and transport helicopter pilots undergo the same Flight Course where they learn to fly, brief and debrief together as one division. However, as soon as the flight course ends, the pilots are divided into two groups - transport helicopter pilots, based at Palmachim AFB, and attack helicopter pilots, based at Ramon. They are far from each other, serve completely different operational purposes, and operate different weapons systems; but what do the divisions have in common, and how do they combine forces toward a shared operational goal?

A Shared Battlefield

The 123rd ("Desert Birds") Squadron, which operates the "Yanshuf" (Blackhawk) out of Palmachim AFB, calls the training exercise "Ramon Day". The geographical distance between the transport and helicopter squadrons makes planning such an exercise challenging, and much of the preparations were held virtually. This challenge is an effective way to train for war scenarios, where coordination must be conducted in short timeframes from different parts of the country. In the current exercise, however, personnel from both squadrons physically met and trained together. They sat together in the briefing rooms and got to experience the operational process as one.

"The exercise is divided into sections called 'fields'. The first is the 'foundations' field, during which the aircrews conduct joint flights without a mission. The purpose of this field is to familiarize the aircrews with mixed-formation flying and to improve communication and dynamic", explains Lt. N, an aircrew member from the 123rd Squadron. This stage is particularly important due to the gap between the natures of each division and platform.

This current exercise creates an ideal platform for mutual understanding between personnel from both divisions and helps identify and bridge the gaps between them. "In our training exercises, we aspire to simulate accurate combat, and during combat, both the transport and attack helicopter divisions operate closely together", concludes Lt. A. "Our mission was shared throughout the entire drill, from beginning to end - we constantly aspire towards that ideal".