AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy. -- PÁPA AIR BASE, Hungary -- The 56th Rescue Squadron, 56th Rescue Generation Squadron and 57th Rescue Squadron participated in exercise Jolly Vihar 25 at Pápa Air Base, Hungary, July 14-25.
Jolly Vihar 25 is an annual exercise conducted by the 56th and 57th Rescue Squadrons to train in rescue and combat simulations with allied forces while executing maintenance operations. The exercise also demonstrated the squadrons’ ability to deliver agile, ready forces in support of NATO and U.S. objectives.
“The main objective of Jolly Vihar is to get all the special mission aviators fully qualified on the GAU-21 weapon system,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Eric Kugel, 56th RQS special missions aviator instructor. “As a whole for our squadron, it’s also for us to work on our combat mission readiness requirements. That way we are ready to deploy from USAFE to support real-world taskings that may come up.”
Three U.S. Air Force HH-60W Jolly Green IIs flew to Pápa Air Base, Hungary, for Jolly Vihar 25. During the two-week event, training entailed live aerial combat fire exercises and search and rescue missions.
The training strengthened the capabilities of the 56th RQS and 57th RQS along with NATO allies by fostering collaboration through mutual exchanges of combat tactics and techniques, while learning from each others’ operational practices. Throughout the exercise, U.S. and Hungarian forces worked together in complex training scenarios that built vital relationships and increased joint effectiveness.
“Our Hungarian partner forces here have been incredibly helpful,” said Kugel. “We’re excited to have their JTACS fly with us to build relationships and interoperability with them.”
The unity and preparedness demonstrated by U.S. and Hungarian forces underscored their capability to effectively respond to global contingencies. Jolly Vihar 25 strengthened the bond between partners and encouraged relying on each other in defense of allied interests.