The two-week home air defence exercise Resilient Sky has kicked off. It will verify and enhance operations planning and control and the very command and control systems through the involvement of more than four hundred service members from all units of the Czech Air Force with dozens of air assets and ground vehicles. It will also see the participation of the national Integrated Emergency System that comprises of the blue light services.
The Resilient Sky tests the Czech National Reinforcement Air Defence System activated for the protection of the Czech Republic’s airspace in crises or emergencies, which was the case in the wake of 9/11, in the course of the Prague NATO Summit in 2002 and when the New START treaty was signed in Prague. It involves other aircraft, airbase and air defencecommand posts, radars as well as air defence and passive surveillance systems.
“The primary objective is to enhance skills and abilities of all units and staffs assigned for the National Reinforcement Air Defence System in performance of a broad spectrum of missions with specific focus on tactical flying, counter-air operations by the ground based air defence, airlift, close air support, ISR and vertical integration of operational and tactical echelons plus planning and realisation of COMAO type of operations,” says Czech Air Force Commander Major General Petr Čepelka.
In this year’s edition of Resilient Sky, units will rehearse defence of the Čáslav airbase and the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant. One of the key tasks will be the performance of an air manoeuvre by a helicopter squadron and setting up a Forward Arming and Refuelling Point (FARP) with adequate force protection.
According to General Čepelka, the exercise will verify the capability to control all units under national command anddeconflict NATO operations possibly affecting the Czech Republic’s airspace. “The Czech Air Force Command assigns and reinforces the 261st Control and Reporting Centre, which is a unit reporting to the 26th Command, Control and Surveillance Regiment. The CRC plays a critical part – it isthe brain of the whole exercise, which provides command and control. Called the Air National Component Centre, it is activated in contingencies“, Czech Air Force Commander MG Čepelka expanded.
The first week will train L-159 aircrews, and CRC/SAMOC plus ANCC staffs. The second week will verify the functioning of the whole Czech Air Force command and control system.
“Protection of our homeland territory is the priority we exercise for – and we seek to be the best in what we do. We learn from mistakes and respond to the situation in NATO’s Eastern Flank. At the same time, we are proving that our abilities to plan, support and coordinate all types of NATO scenarios are up to requirements. Immediately upon the Resilient Sky 2023, exercise Ample Strike Lite (AMSE23)will follow to hone the skills of our Joint Terminal Attack Controllers,” said MG Čepelka.