Swiss Air Force roundel.
May 4, 2021
The operations command tested the responsiveness of the air police on Thursday during a test alert at Payerne air base. Successful exercise, says the command.
Image above: The full-scale test made it possible to verify the intervention capacity of the pilots, the personnel of the air defense engagement center and the Payerne air base, as well as that of the on-call service of other services of the Army. Image Credits: 20min/Simon Glauser.
The Swiss Air Force has been ensuring the security of Swiss airspace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since January of this year. To test this availability in the field, the army carried out an unannounced check in the form of a take-off on alert (Quick Reaction Alert, QRA) at Payerne at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday.
This testing of the various QRA mechanisms and processes was deliberately scheduled outside of normal airbase operating hours, in order to verify the readiness of the various on-call services under realistic conditions.
Take off in 15 minutes
After the alarm sounded, two F / A-18s stationed at Payerne were to take off within the allotted time, that is to say within 15 minutes. The full-scale test made it possible to simultaneously verify, in addition to the intervention capacity of the pilots, also that of the personnel of the air defense engagement center and the Payerne air base, as well as that of the organizations' on-call service partners such as the Army Logistics Base (BLA) and the Army Command Assistance Base (BAC).
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After reaching the affected area on time, the pilots carried out regular air police training. The results are being evaluated and the processes will be improved and adapted accordingly.
Alarm drills outside of normal hours will remain exceptional. However, they are essential for building knowledge and improving the organization, the DDPS General Secretariat said in a statement on passed Friday.
Related article:
No F/A-18 outside office hours: http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2014/02/no-fa-18-outside-office-hours.html
Find several Swiss Air Force planes for Flight Simulator X (CD version of FSX) for free download here: https://simulators.jimdo.com/
Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: ATS/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga/Video: Army Cinematographic Service/Music: Evanescence - Bring Me To Life.
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