Multinational Helicopter Training Center (MHTC)


This year’s Fire Blade exercise marked the third time Hungary has hosted the event, following previous editions in 2017 and 2022. The exercise was designed to offer helicopter operators from multiple European nations the opportunity to train together using common tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and to plan and execute complex missions in a multinational environment. The training was conducted in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Multinational Helicopter Training Center’s (MHTC) Helicopter Exercise Program (HEP). The Fire Blade exercise primarily focuses on live firing, enabling aircrews to train and refine their proficiency in the effective use of their weapon systems. The goal is to enhance tactical-level interoperability between rotary- and fixed-wing aviation units through the Composite Air Operations (COMAO) concept. The exercise simulates a realistic and demanding joint and combined operational environment, integrating both air and land operations.


The European Defense Agency (EDA) began offering training for helicopter crews in 2009 to fill the gap in tactical training capability and interoperability, initially with a focus on operations in Afghanistan. Conducting operations in a foreign country under difficult and challenging conditions, with helicopters and crews from different nations, requires a common approach for success. These courses were consolidated into three dedicated training programs: the Helicopter Exercise Program (HEP), the Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC) program, and the Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course (HTIC) program. To relieve the European Defense Agency (EDA) and allow it to focus on other responsibilities, it was decided in 2019 to establish the Multinational Helicopter Training Center (MHTC), which would assume responsibility for these specific tasks. In 2020, the EDA Helicopter Training Center was subsequently relocated from the United Kingdom to Sintra in Portugal, and on June 28, 2022, the MHTC Technical Arrangement was signed by Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Sweden.


54


Sept/Oct 2025


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92