European Spartan 2019 Military Exercise

Source: Romanian presidency of the EU (Romanian presidency) i, published on Thursday, April 25 2019.

Exercise European Spartan 2019 will take place during 13rd-24th May, 2019 at the 90th Airlift Base / Otopeni, in the context of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The exercise is a multinational training event organised in the framework of the EATF (European Air Transport Fleet) program. This military exercise is part of a series of activities planned and organized by the C-27J SPARTAN community with the support of the European Defense Agency (EDA) and the Romanian Air Force at the 90th Airlift Base.

The countries participating in the exercise, beside Romania, are: Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, and Slovakia but observers from other owner states this type of aircraft, European or even non-European (Australia, Greece, USA) are also expected.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

  • 1) 
    Media Accreditation:
  • - 
    The journalists’ access to the event is exclusively based on the media accreditation, which is to be made on the website of the Romanian Presidency at the Council of the European Union at: https://accreditation.romania2019.eu/;
  • - 
    The deadline for accreditation is 5 May 2019;
  • - 
    Accreditation badges can be collected exclusively from the Palace of Parliament - the Accreditation Center of the Romanian Presidency at the EU Council, located at A3/S2 entrance (Bucharest, 2-4 Izvor St.);
  • - 
    For the issue of accreditation badges, one needs to present his/her accreditation approval and a valid ID or Passport.
  • 2) 
    Media schedule
  • a) 
    Tuesday, 21st May - Media Day:

Journalists will be able to attend a flying exercise at the Boboc Airbase and will include the landing of C-27J SPARTAN aircraft on soil and short-distance tracks, parachuting personnel and materials, cooperation with combat aircraft, airline coordination with land forces and medical evacuation.

Transport of journalists to the Boboc Airbase (by bus or military plane), in Boboc, Buzău county, will be provided by the Romanian Air Force, which will depart or take off at approximately 08.00 hrs from 90th Airlift Base, Zborului Street, in the Otopeni town, the county Ilfov (access from the national road DN 1 Bucharest - Ploiesti).

Journalists who wish to participate to the exercise are requested to send the following information by Friday, May 17th at 14.00, at proff@roaf.ro: name, surname, series and number of the ID/Passport and the media organisation they represent.

Point of contact: Colonel Ionut Neamu, phone +40724 348 252.

  • b) 
    Thursday, 23rd May 2019 - Distinguished Visitors Day:

Journalists who wish to participate to the DV Day are requested to send the following information by Wednesday 22th May at 14.00 at proff@roaf.ro: name, first name, series and number of the ID/Passport, the media organisation they represent, the vehicle registration plate of the vehicles they are coming with.

Journalists will be then welcome on Thursday, 23th May, from 08.30 to 09.00, at the 90th Airlift Base, No. 1 Zborului Street, in Otopeni, Ilfov County (access from the DN1 national road Bucharest - Ploiesti).

Point of contact: Colonel Ionut Neamu, phone 0724 348 252.

***

The military exercise European Spartan 2019 is unique in the EATF program and is designed as joint training C-27J Spartan users military aircraft, to develop interoperability in tactical operation and maintenance. In this exercise, Romania has the status of Host Nation, and the Romanian Air Force personal have an important role in the planning team.

The C-27J SPARTAN aircraft is designed to perform tactical missions in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, providing direct air transport to the theatre, day and night.

The airplane is capable of transporting forces, equipment, vehicles, light artillery, various equipment and materials and assuring the parachuting / debarcation of forces, materials and equipment. It can operate long periods of time without direct support from base dislocation under severe climatic conditions.

The military exercise is based on a complex scenario, which involves the practice and the consolidation of the flight mission techniques, landing on soil and short-distance tracks, personnel and materials parachuting, the cooperation with combat aircraft, the coordination of the aerial actions with those of the land forces, medical evacuation, while also exercising aircraft maintenance enforcement procedures in multinational teams.

Such events are essential for the harmonization of European and NATO air transport operations in order to improve the interoperability of air transport crews and, ultimately, to make operations more efficient in a multinational context.