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Nov
10
2025
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Posted 4 days ago ago by Admin
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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 28 June 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.
Pápa Air Base (LHPA)
Until 1997, the HDF 47th Air Base (Pápa, Hungary) was home to a squadron of MiG-23 Floggers, and until August 2000 it also housed a regiment of MiG-21 aircraft. In 2009, following extensive runway and taxiway renovations and the construction of new facilities and hangars, the multinational Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) took up residence at the base with its fleet of three C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. With the departure of the MiG aircraft, and the addition of new aprons and infrastructure, Pápa Air Base became an ideal deployment hub for international exercises. The base’s suitability for large-scale exercises, like Fire Blade, is not only due to the ample space and generally favorable geographical location and weather conditions, but also its surrounding sparsely populated areas and proximity to training grounds and live-fire ranges. During this year’s and previous editions of Fire Blade, frequent use was made of locations such as the Joint Training Center in Újdörögd, the Hajmáskér gunnery range and several locations around Lake Balaton.
Mentor Teams
This year, seven countries participated in Fire Blade 2025, contributing a total of 319 personnel (excluding Ground, SOF, Air Defense, and host nation Hungarian personnel) and 19 helicopters from Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, and Switzerland. In addition, 24 observers from both MHTC and non-MHTC member states attended the exercise. They were given insight into the cooperation between helicopter crews and ground force elements during Composite Air Operations (COMAO). By witnessing both the planning and execution phases of the exercise, these observers gained a clear understanding of the benefits of multinational helicopter integration—potentially encouraging more nations to join the MHTC framework.
The entire planning process and execution were overseen by the MHTC Mentor Team, composed this year of weapons and tactics instructors from Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden—all graduates of the Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course (HTIC). The Mentor Team was led by the MHTC chief instructor.
“I’m often asked: What sets the Blade series apart from other exercises? Why Blade? Why Hot Blade, Fire Blade, Dark Blade, or Black Blade? What makes it different? This is an exercise for everyone. Crews regularly take part in a range of exercises. The Blade exercise is no different in that sense,” explains Lieutenant Colonel Zoltan Szili, deputy commander MHTC. “We do the job, but what makes it unique is the presence of helicopter tactics instructors, whom we refer to here as mentors. These mentors play a critical role. They assist, guide, monitor, evaluate, debrief, and gather lessons learned from each participating helicopter crew. The mentors are pilots provided by the MHTC member states and are all graduates of the MHTC Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course. They form the backbone of our program. They are also responsible for developing our tactical Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), This SOP serves as the foundation for the Blade exercises, the simulator-based Helicopter Tactics Course, and the Tactics Instructor Course, which essentially trains the next generation of mentors. All mentor activities are coordinated, led, and supervised by the MHTC chief instructor.”
Szili, age 55, started at the age of 18 at the Szolnok Aviation Academy, and was later sent to Russia to train on the Mil Mi-8 Hip helicopter. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, his training continued at MH 87th Bakony Combat Helicopter Regiment, based at Szentkirályszabadja Air Base, where he qualified as both a pilot and gunner on the Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters. After the closure of Szentkirályszabadja Air Base, Lt.Col. Szili was reassigned to the HDF 86th Szolnok Helicopter Wing where he served in several leadership positions. In 2023, while serving in the Training Section of the HDF Air Force Command, he was appointed deputy commander of the Multinational Helicopter Training Centre (MHTC). Over the course of his career, Szili has logged more than 1,500 flight hours on various helicopter types.
“We fully embrace the crew concept. When you walk into the preparation building, you won’t see just pilots working on the route plan, communication plan, or target plan. What you’ll see are full crews: pilots, pilots in command, co-pilots, door gunners, and crew chiefs all actively engaged. Every crew member is involved in the planning, execution, and debriefing phases, and when we talk about our instructors, we don’t just mean pilot instructors. We have door gunners serving as tactics instructors. We have crew chiefs serving as tactics instructors. In many cases, it’s the crew chief who teaches the pilot in command about tactical procedures — because the crew chief is the gold standard, the true master of the craft. That’s what we mean by the crew concept. We train, plan, and operate as full crews—together, as one team,” adds Szili.
Special Appearance
A founding member of the European Defense Agency, Serbia made its debut at an MHTC exercise this year, contributing two helicopters: the brand-new Airbus H145M and the Mil Mi-17V-5 Hip, both from the 890th Mixed Helicopter Squadron (Meshovita Helikopterska Eskadrila) based at Batajnica Air Base near Belgrade. The H145M has been in service with the Serbian Air Force since 2019. During Fire Blade 2025, it fired 80 mm S8-KOM unguided rockets from a locally produced L-80-07 seven-tube rocket pod. The Mi-17V-5 participated in several ground-force training missions during the exercise, including fast-roping and rappelling operations. Another first-time participant during a Fire Blade exercise was the Swiss Air Force, which deployed three AS532UL Cougar helicopters from Alpnach Air Base to Pápa. Slovakia also joined with a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter from the 1st Helicopter Squadron (1. Vrtuľníková letka) based at Prešov Air Base. Both Switzerland and Slovakia have announced their intention to join the MHTC as its fifteenth and sixteenth member nations, respectively.
‘Team, Train, Trust’
Szili says, “Our goal is to create a win-win environment — not only for us, but also for ground troops, electronic warfare units, air-defence systems, fighter jets, artillery and more. We want all participants to meet their objectives. Wherever a conflict is unfolding around the world, there are valuable lessons to be identified and learned. We benefit from observing current real-world conflicts, and that's exactly why we host an annual Helicopter Tactics Symposium. One year, we had Ukrainian pilots share their experiences; another year, we welcomed Israeli pilots. We gained tremendous insight, and we're working to integrate those lessons into our Blade exercise scenarios. That’s why Nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) flying has regained importance in our training. We need to get low and move fast again.
“At the MHTC, we aim to create the right environment — one that brings people together, and keeps them together, especially during courses alongside instructors. What does that mean in practice? Education doesn’t end in the classroom. It continues during casual afternoon conversations. That informal exchange is vital. Socializing plays a key role. That’s why our motto is: ‘Team, Train, Trust.’ Get the team together. Train that team. And through that process, you build trust. That’s the keyword. So, when they later meet in a deployment area, they already know each other — the good and the bad habits, the traditions, the professional strengths. That makes the mission easier to execute,” concludes Szili.
The Fire Blade 2025 exercise concluded on 29 May with a Distinguished Visitors Day, featuring a Combined Air Operation (COMAO) mission executed jointly by participating nations through a variety of ground and air elements. Originally, Fire Blade 2026 was scheduled to take place at Náměšť nad Oslavou Air Base in the Czech Republic. However, due to the recent introduction of the Bell AH-1Z Viper and Bell UH-1Y Venom helicopters, the exercise schedule has been revised. Fire Blade 2026 will now be hosted at Plovdiv-Krumovo Air Base in Bulgaria.
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