On Thursday, the Baltic Bikini maritime rescue exercise, held for the 20th time in Pärnu Bay and at facilities of the Reval maritime school, came to an end.
Some 60 air force personnel from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania took part in Baltic Bikini 2024.
“The aim of the exercise has always been very simple — to train flying personnel in the most realistic conditions possible, including at sea, and to ensure that they know how to use rescue equipment should the need arise,” said Lt. Col. Maanus Nigul, commander of the Ämari air base, who participated in the exercise.
“A lot of groundwork was done in the planning of the exercise, the background forces are working, and therefore the exercise has proceeded very smoothly and successfully,” Nigul added.
As part of Baltic Bikini 2024, aircrew members practiced action in the event of an accident, how to escape from an aircraft that has made an emergency landing in the water, and what are the subsequent actions both when one is in the water and when being delivered to the shore by a rescue helicopter.
Aircrew members from the three Baltic states, the Estonian Navy’s rescue vessel Kindral Kurvits and the diver group, the coastal defense unit of the Kaitseliit (Defense League) and UH-60 Black Hawk, Eurocopter Dauphin and AW-139 helicopters, which helped to rescue the exercise participants at sea, were involved in Baltic Bikini 2024.
The Baltic Bikini sea rescue exercise is a series of joint maritime rescue exercises of the three Baltic countries, which began in 2004 on the initiative of the Royal Air Force of Denmark. In addition to aircrew members from the three countries, naval personnel and employees of the rescue services of the host country also participated in the exercise.
The Lithuanian Air Force will host the exercise next year.
Source: BNS
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