Philippine Army soldiers and their U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) counterparts conducted an air assault planning exercise which is part of the ongoing Balikatan at the Aviation Regiment Airstrip, Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on April 21, 2023.
A total of 81 personnel from the 99th Infantry Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, Philippine Army and their USARPAC counterparts conducted hot and cold load training aboard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters as part of the said exercise. Cold load training allows soldiers to load and unload the helicopter while it is not in operation. In contrast to cold load, hot load training allows the troops to load and unload a fully functioning UH-60 Blackhawk with full combat gear.
The said exercise is part of the 38th iteration of Exercise Balikatan which includes more than 17,000 Filipino and American soldiers training side by side in a spectrum of military operations. Balikatan advances the combat readiness and interoperability of Filipino and American soldiers through realistic training scenarios.
Photos from the Philippine Army