Hellenic National Defense General Staff released a statement announcing that from Monday 02 to Friday 13 May 2022, the multinational Special Operations Forces Exercise “TROJAN FOOTPRINT – 22” was conducted in Greece.
The exercise involved the participation of Officers and Officers of the newly established Special Warfare Command of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, in the region of Attica-Boeotia, in which special operations forces from Greece, Albania, France and the United Kingdom, the USA and Italy participated.
During the exercise, a Land Operations Land Task Group (SOLTG) was formed and led under Greek command, which undertook, designed and executed missions of increased complexity and difficulty in conditions similar to the real ones.
The purpose of the Exercise, which is the leading operational training activity of Special Operations in Europe, was to train the units in dealing with diverse threats, to cooperate with conventional forces and to improve interoperability at inter-allied level, in order to enhance the readiness, combat capability and level of cooperation and consensus of the participants.
“The exercise “TROJAN FOOTPRINT – 22” is part of the international cooperation of the Armed Forces with allies and friendly countries of Greece, in accordance with the planning of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, with the choice of our country as a host nation to highlight its role as a factor of security and stability in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Exercise was organized by the US Special Operations Command Europe (USSOCEUR) and was conducted in parallel in 15 countries, with the participation of a total of approximately 3,300 Officers, Officers and Soldiers from 30 countries” concludes the announcement of HNDGS.
Before you can read about the MH-60 Stealth Black Hawk, which was used in the US final operation against Bin Landen, you should first learn a bit more about the Black Hawk helicopters.
The UH-60 Black Hawk is a medium-sized assault helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky and currently It is in the service of many armies and serves as the main helicopter for the United States Army.
Even before the Vietnam War was over, in 1971, the U.S. military put out a request for a tactical transport helicopter, putting a lot of weight on how well it could survive and how many troops it could carry.
A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter from Charlie Company, 227th, flies through the sunset Oct. 9, Baghdad, Iraq.
The helicopter was developed in 1972 in accordance with the U.S. Military’s demand for an advanced assault helicopter to replace the Bell 205 following the Vietnam War.
The first prototype (YUH-60) flew in October 17, 1974 and faced a Boeing prototype (YUH-61) in a competition. The Black Hawk (UH-60A) was elected as the winner and entered service in 1979.
A short time later, different models of the helicopter, including ones that could land on water, started to get produced. The Black Hawk has a large capacity, allowing the carrying of up to 14 troops.
The Black Hawk allows the rapid loading and unloading of troops on the battlefield. In different configurations, the trunk can be modified easily to be used as a flying ambulance as well as for logistic or intelligence purposes.
A UH-60 Black Hawk departs from Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Diyala province, Iraq, July 21. UH-60 Black Hawks were used to transport U.S. Army troops home after serving in Iraq in support of Operating Iraqi Freedom.
The structure of the helicopter gives it a high survival rate on the battlefield as the main rotor blades are resistant to damage from bullets up to 23 mm in diameter.
The propulsion systems can still be used for up to 30 minutes after all the oil has been used up, has a dual turbine system, fuel tanks that can withstand a crash, and seats for the pilot and co-pilot that are bulletproof.
Since the late 1980s, an improved model, the UH-60L, had been created with new engines with the new UH-60M model entered service in 2008.
Over the years, many different models of the UH-60 helicopter have been manufactured, one of them is the MH-60 version which can fly at longer distances as it has higher fuel capacity.
What helicopter was deployed in Operation Neptune Spear?
The MH-60 Stealth Black Hawk
The MH-60 Stealth Black Hawk helicopter is an upgraded and secret helicopter model that participated in Operation Neptune Spear to eliminate Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan.
It is thought that this special model has been changed so that it makes very little noise and has stealthy features, although its existence has not been officially acknowledged by the US.
The helicopter flew through Pakistani Airspace undetectable and reached the compound where Osama Bin Laden was living.
One of the two helicopters of this model that participated in the operation was damaged during the landing, and the SEAL’s blew it up so that it would not fall into the hands of foreigners.
Among the changes in question, which apparently add a few hundred kilograms to the weight of the helicopter, are the addition of special panels for aligning the angles at the edges and a special coating that reduces radar cross section (RCS).
Another change is the tail rotor structure, which was found by locals at the blast site and presents a unique design, implying a low noise signature and the uncommon design of the helicopter.
According to some media reports, Pakistan sold the remains of the helicopter to China and China is currently trying to build a copy of the stealth helicopter.
Sikorsky built a number of similar prototype stealth helicopters, known as the RAH-66 Comanche, for the US Army but due to rising costs, the program was canceled in 2004, before the helicopter could ever become operation.
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Following Finland’s announcement that it will pursue membership in NATO, Russia has indicated that it will take retaliatory actions, sending a clear warning.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg PHOTO: NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, such an action would significantly damage bilateral relations as well as the security and stability of Northern Europe.
Russia’s warnings come in response to statements by the Finnish president and prime minister urging the country to apply for NATO membership “without delay”.
On Sunday, Finland will formally announce its decision following parliamentary consultations. Sweden will announce its decision on the same day.
The Russian statement described Finland’s decision as “a radical change in the country’s foreign policy”.
“Russia will be forced to retaliate, both military-technical and otherwise, in order to neutralize the threats to its national security that arise from it,” the statement said.
According to the Russian agency Ria Novosti, Russia’s Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Poliansky, said that Sweden and Finland would become potential targets for Russia if it joined NATO.
According to the recent announcement of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (Greece), from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 May 2022, the “Chief of General Staff General Konstantinos Floros paid an official visit to the UAE, at the invitation of the Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces Lieutenant General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi.
On Wednesday, 11 May, following the official reception of the Chief of General Staff at the UAE General Staff, in his one-on-one meeting with Lt. Gen. Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi and the ensuing talks, they referred to the excellent relationship between the two Countries, which was reaffirmed with the recent signing of the “Greek-UAE Military Cooperation Program for the Year 2022”, as well as in the framework of the bilateral Broad Strategic Partnership Agreement signed at a high governmental level in November 2020.
They also discussed issues of mutual interest, with an emphasis on the current security challenges facing the two countries, regional and international developments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as the new conditions in the international environment.
During their meeting, which was the 5th in the last 2 years, the Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staffadditionally referred to the revisionism and provocative behavior of Turkey towards Greece, which undermines the stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region and further burdens the general security situation.
At the bilateral level, the two focused on the possibilities of further developing the special relationship between the two Countries, either by conducting joint trainings or by participating in joint bilateral and multilateral exercises, both to enhance their operational capabilities and interoperability, as well as and in support of the role of Greece and the UAE as pillars of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, in accordance with the rules of international law and the principles of good neighborliness.
In particular, in the context of the further deepening of their Military Cooperation, reference was made to the provision of facilities and facilities by the Armed Forces of Greece to their respective UAEs for the construction of personnel accommodation infrastructure at the Camp “Epilarchou MELLIDIS” in Avlona, as well as in the plan that will follow for the examination within 2022 of the possibility of additional mutual military cooperation
The Chief of HNDGS then went to the TAWAZUN Industrial Park in Zaed Military City, where he met with the Mr. Tareq Abdul Raheem Al Hosani and CEO of the TAWAZUN Economic Council.
Greece appears to want to increase military cooperation with the UAE as Konstantinos Floros was briefed on the potential of the UAE’s thriving Defense Industry in the fields of UAVs, Loitering munitions, Combat Vehicles, Amphibious Vehicles, and Patrol boats, ammunition, Portable Armament, etc.
He then met with the Commander of the UAE Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Saeed Al Shehi, at the Land Forces Headquarters, with whom they had the opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest, organization and doctrine of Structure and Administration, as well as prospects for deepening cooperation between the two countries, in view of his upcoming official visit to Athens.
Finally, the Chief of General Staff laid a wreath at the Wahat Al Karama Monument, which is dedicated to the Fallen Heroes of the UAE Armed Forces.
At the monument, which covers an area of 46,000 m2, he was welcomed and guided by Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Executive Director of the Court of the Crown Prince for Families of Fallen Heroes, while he also had the opportunity to sign his Guestbook as the announcement of Hellenic National Defense General Staff informs.
Fighting continues in Ukraine, with the Russian army continuing to focus on the southeast and the Ukrainians counterattacking.
Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian forces have seized much of the Russianmilitary equipment, including tanks and other armor, which they usually drag behind Ukrainian tractors.
The Video published by the Ukrainian armed forces in the Telegram, show Ukrainian tractor dragging a TOS-1 Buratino.
Photo by Vitaliy Ragulin – Repetition parade., CC BY-SA 3.0
The caption of the publication reads “no one and nothing can resist the Ukrainian tractors”.
The TOS-1 Buratino is a Russian self-propelled MLRS system that specializes in eliminating heavily fortified positions.
The system has a reputation for being especially scary because of the damage it does to any enemy force that comes up against it. This is because it uses incendiary ammunition just like a modern “Greek Fire”.
According to Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian forces destroyed two Russian bridges in eastern Ukraine, thwarting Russia’s efforts to deploy troops and tanks on the other side of the river.
According to images published by the Ukrainian army, it appears that two floating bridges were destroyed simultaneously on the river Siverskyi Donets in the Luhansk region.
Local sources say two separate Ukrainian attacks, about 24 hours apart, were responsible for destroying the bridges and several Russianmilitary vehicles.
Photo by Ministry of Defense of Ukraine,
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces have once again destroyed the (Russian) waterways of the Seversky Donets,” Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai told the Telegram.
“The Russians tried to cross the river from Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region, but they end up feeding the fish,” Haidai added. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the 17th Tank Brigade of the Ukrainian army took part in the attack.
Ukrainian authorities have released photos taken by a drone showing smoke and two bridges that are partially submerged in water. It seems that a large number of tanks and other vehicles that tried to pass have been destroyed.
The Russian Defense Ministry has issued a statement regarding the continuous military action of the Russian artillery against the armed forces of Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry says Russian artillery units have destroyed several targets of the Ukrainian army.
“The artillery units of the Russian Federation neutralize the artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, destroy the enemy’s defense structures, command posts, weapons and military equipment, and support the Russian troops with artillery fire.”
Msta By Vitaly V. Kuzmin – http://vitalykuzmin.net/?q=node/449, CC BY-SA 4.0
“A significant number of artillery missions are carried out by 152 mm Msta-S self-propelled howitzers.
The Msta-S (2S19 Msta) can fire at a range of up to 30 km with the ability to fire from protected positions, directly without preparing the firing positions. Strong shells are being used to destroy Ukrainian fortifications,” the statement of the Russian MOD concludes.
PHOTO: US ARMY Black Hawk flight, by CPT Travis Mueller
The Greek Defense Minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, stated that the Ministry of Defense of Greece is negotiating with United States the procurement of Black Hawk helicopters and Island-class patrol vessels
“We are requesting US surplus material, Black Hawk helicopters and Island-class patrol vessels. We will also negotiate for more things that are now under study and discussion, and are part of the wider Greek-American discussion on defense, for which the General staffs are preparing a relevant proposal to the US,” the Greek Defense Minister stated.
He also spoke about Turkey’s request to acquire new F-16 fighter jets from the United States.
“A lot has been heard in this debate about the agreement, such as that on the eve of the Greek prime minister’s trip to the United States, the Americans are turning a blind eye to the Turks and doing them a favor, and that we have miscalculated.
There is a request from Turkey to buy 40 new F-16s and upgrade another 80 F-16s. But there is a long way to go from this request of Turkey to its approval.
“In fact, we know-and he himself states it, the Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, that the road is long and uncertain. Let us not anticipate that the agreement will be completed and let us not play a game of impressions once again,” said the Greek Minister for National Defense.
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated on Friday that it was impossible for Turkey, which is a member of NATO, to regard favourably the ambitions that Sweden and Finland had to join the pact.
Any proposed expansion of NATO must receive unanimity of support from all of the alliance’s current members. Finland and Sweden recently said they want to join NATO through a fast track process, but this may lead Turkey to veto their membership.
Recently, Russia threatened Finland with retaliatory measures if it joins NATO.
“Russia will be forced to retaliate, both of a technical and other nature, in order to neutralize the threats to its national security that arise from it,” Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The US government has informally asked Congress to allow the sale of AMRAAM and Sidewinder missiles, radar and related equipment to Turkey, in order to significantly increase the capabilities of the Turkish F-16 fleet.
According to Wall Street Journal U.S. officials familiar with the matter have said that the Biden administration could use the proposal to assess Congress’ reaction to a different deal before possibly selling more F-16s from the United States to Turkey which Congress currently rejects.
Photo by Ronnie Macdonald, CC BY 2.0
We remind you that Turkey’s request for the acquisition of new F-16 fighter jets and the upgrade of its existing fleet to Block 70 / 72 Viper version in exchange for the F-35s that it paid for but did not receive due to the purchase of the Russian S-400s.
PHOTO By Vitaly V. Kuzmin
The US government has responded to Turkey that the main problem is the negative stance of Congress.
