There’s an international theme to the Lapland winter training exercises that the Utti Jaeger Regiment helicopter pilots and parachutists are currently conducting – and that’s to enhance the ability of the Finnish and German chopper pilots and crew to cooperate in real-life situations.
The Utti Jaeger Regiment the Finnish Army training and development centre for special forces and helicopter operations.
This year the exercises have a major goal, which is to create a seamless symbiosis using the NH90 helicopters and command teams of both countries.
For the 70-member German team the helicopter test runs in Lapland will have far-reaching consequences, allowing them to rehearse joint transport sorties in conditions similar to Afghanistan’s biting cold.
The training flights are expected to provide a major advantage, particularly as the EU is currently assembling forces, in which Finland’s NH90 choppers will play a central role. So far 10 EU countries have the NH 90 transport helicopter.
Finnish pilots have been highly commended by their German colleagues for their skill in manoeuvring the small craft in Lapland’s demanding wintry conditions.