Exercice Jebel Sahara 2010

Citation :

A Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter flys over tһе mountainous terrain οf tһе North Africa іח preparation fοr deployment tο Afghanistan.

Working alongside Army Air Corps Lynx helicopters аחԁ аח array οf ground support personnel, tһе Chinook pilots аחԁ aircrew practiced dust landings аחԁ underslung load carrying аmοחɡ οtһеr vital tasks іח аח exercise called Jebel Sahara.

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Solid reputation’ of Gibraltar soldiers, says Chief Minister

Chief Minister Peter Caruana visited the Royal Gibraltar Regiment on exercise in Marrakech, Morocco on Sunday. Royal Gibraltar Regiment troops are training with Moroccan army paratroops, and RAF Helicopters. The Chief Minister said: “Wherever the Regiment goes they establish a solid reputation for military professionalism, friendship and relationship building. Morocco is no exception. They are wonderful ambassadors for Gibraltar." He flew to Marrakech from London on his way back from New York,and returned to Gibraltar by military helicopter on Monday. 13-10-10

http://www.panorama.gi/localnews/headlines.php?action=view_article&article=6583&offset=0

Citation :

VIP's visit exercise Jebel Sahara

16/10/10 SIG/10/08

Over the last few days, both the Chief Minister and Commander British Forces have been out to visit Exercise Jebel Sahara Working in an area of about 400 square kilometres of southern Morocco. Every year this exercise grows in its size and importance for its three contributing units, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) and the Moroccan Brigade d’Infanterie Parachutiste (BIP).

This year, over 270 troops of the JHC have been testing their ability to fly, maintain and supply their four Chinook and three Merlin helicopters in hot, dusty and barren conditions. Meanwhile, 120 Moroccan soldiers have been training for the whole range of peacekeeping operations and over 300 other Moroccan infantry troops have simply been learning to how operate with a helicopter force. But at the core of the exercise are the officers and men of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment who have planned everything and without whose efforts the exercise would not be taking place.

‘On this exercise we all work together - the Moroccans, the JHC and ourselves – we are working in a multinational, Joint Service environment which is usually seen only in higher formations,’ said Lt Col Colin Risso MC, the Regiment’s Commanding Officer. ‘Together we have developed it into a really good exercise and yet I believe that there is still has even more scope for further development,’ added Lt Col Risso.

This view is shared by WO2 Murray, one of the British Army’s top specialists in running ‘live firing’ training for the British Army. ‘Having come out to Morocco to support this exercise, I am convinced that it is probably one of the best ‘live firing packages’ I’ve ever seen,’ he said.
As well as providing some training for the BIP, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment’s training training began with Exercise Desert Ranger which, over three days, confirmed that every soldier’s basic infantry skills were up to standard. The troops then moved on to a period of training for ‘Stability Operations’ - the Army’s new name for ‘Peacekeeping Operations’.

‘It is easy to look at all these helicopters and think that we spend our whole time being flown around the area. In fact, we see Jebel Sahara as a fantastic opportunity for our officers, NCOs and soldiers to improve all their infantry skills by making use of this huge training area.’ said Major Ivor Lopez, exercise planner. ‘Here, the terrain and the climate are very similar to the conditions we might find on current operational deployments.’

The Stability Operations package includes such subjects as Base Security, Reaction to Incidents, Convoy Drills, Patrols, Vehicle Check Points and Anti-Ambush drills.

‘Since the last time we did this exercise, there have been lots of promotions within the Regiment so there are many new faces in new appointments. We have some new recruits and Lance Corporals who are Section 2i/cs for the first time – indeed one Lance Corporal is already working as a Section Commander. We have Cpl Sene and Cpl Milligan who are Section Commanders for first time, whilst Sgts Mauro and Wood are new Platoon Sergeants. Since last year’s exercise we have a new Platoon Commander in 2Lt Jose White and a new Company 2 i/c in Capt Dayan Posso, a new Company Commander in Juri Williamson – and even a new CO!’

After ‘Stability Operations,’ the Regiment will spend a further week on Live Firing ranges in readiness for a final exercise in a specially-made Forward Operating Base which is almost indistinguishable from those on current operations.
Elsewhere, over a hundred Moroccan soldiers are going through an identical training package under the control of Major Juri Williamson. ‘Almost all these troops are being trained by the RG for the first time,’ said Juri. ‘Normally the Moroccans fire the AK47 but with us they have learned to fire the SA 80 rifle and the Underslung Grenade Launcher. We have trained them in our way of doing Section Attacks, Platoon Attacks, Company drills, patrols, ambushes and basic infantry tactics. ‘They are very keen and willing to learn so, hopefully when they take part in the final exercise, everything will come together.’

‘The language barrier obviously makes it more difficult but we have used the techniques which are used by the British ‘Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams’ to train foreign armies so this has been excellent experience for us.’

His Excellency the Governor plans to visit Jebel Sahara next week, along with several other VIPs. No doubt they will be equally impressed by the high standards of training on every element of this excellent exercise.

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Tough-going to get everything organised in the Moroccan desert


‘By the time we finish this exercise we’ll already have started to plan for next year,’ says WO2 Alex Stone, without whose hard work Exercise Jebel Sahara could not take place.

Alex works for the RG’s Quartermaster, Major Stuart Bensadon and it is their job to provide everything that 400 people need for a four week exercise in the Moroccan desert.

Ammunition, tents and targets all have to be ordered a year in advance from Army depots in UK and, like everything else, they need to be transported to a training area about ten kilometres north of Marrakech. Field kitchens, showers, weapons, radios, tables, chairs, spare parts for radios and vehicles – even plastic knives and forks and loo rolls – must be accounted for and packed into containers to be taken by road or air to Ram Ram Camp. In total, over thirty vehicles and two aircraft are needed to move everything into place.

Once they arrived, it was the job of the Quartermaster’s staff to erect tents, a medical centre, a kitchen and a tented dining hall. Next came the showers and the toilet block. By the third day, over 200 RAF personnel and seven helicopters were due to arrive and, by then, everything had to be ready for action.

Just to further complicate matters, the exercise involves a move from one camp to another so, in the third week, the Quartermaster’s team built a Forward Operating Base (FOB) up in the hills – after all, that’s what happens in Afghanistan. ‘We don’t make it easy for ourselves but we do need an exercise which is realistic,’ says Major Ivor Lopez who planned the whole thing. After three days, everyone moves back to Ram Ram and the FOB is dismantled. A week later and everything must be loaded on to the vehicles and brought back to Gibraltar or send direct by air back to UK.

Throughout the whole exercise, twelve chefs cater for about 400 people every day. The first breakfasts are served at 6 am and the last meal is prepared for the helicopter aircrews and engineers some nineteen hours later at 1 am the next morning. WO2 Joe Bula insists that the huge kerosene-powered cooking sets are, ‘Just like cooking at home,’ but it is difficult to believe him. ‘The toughest part of the job is the heat,’ says Joe ‘But we know that everyone looks forward to meal times. Nine out of ten soldiers say, “Thank You” at the end of every meal.’

This year’s exercise has eaten its way through 300 kg of pasta, 900 chickens, 10,300 eggs and 3000 kgs of potatoes, most of which are purchased from Moroccan suppliers.

Led by Surgeon Commander Sue Schofield, medics from Gibraltar’s Princess Royal Medical Centre are also deployed on Exercise Jebel Sahara and, whenever troops are using ‘live’ ammunition, there is a medical team close by. ‘Happily, we have had no major incidents, either on the ranges or caused by movement across this very rough terrain,’ said Sue. ‘However, each day we’ve seen about a dozen cases of stomach illnesses. Most of these are RAF because I think the RG are really aware of the need for high standards of personal hygiene. There are hand-washing stations all round camp and no-one is allowed to have a meal until they’ve washed their hands thoroughly. Many years of experience of this kind of exercise has certainly helped the Regiment to crack the hygiene issue.’

‘There are two medical teams on the exercise,’ added Sue. ‘Ours is a primary care team which runs the camp’s medical centre but, just as on current operations in Afghanistan, the RAF have brought a Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) which is always on standby to be flown by helicopter to any emergency.' During a routine patrol out on the training area, a simulated terrorist bomb seemed to have injured two RG soldiers and so the MERT team is quickly flown to their assistance. An RAF doctor supervises the First-Aid provided by the colleagues of the ‘injured’ soldiers before the ‘casualties’ are evacuated in a Merlin helicopter back to the camp’s medical centre.

‘But, despite all the action, the toughest part of organising Exercise Jebel Sahara is just getting us all here with everything we need,’ stresses Major Ivor Lopez. ‘It only takes a transport aircraft to be cancelled and we are in difficulties. Still, everything has gone well so far so I suppose it's time to start to plan for next year!’

Growing in size and importance

Exercise Jebel Sahara takes place in an area of about 400 square kilometres of southern Morocco. Every year this exercise grows in its size and importance for its three contributing units, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) and the Moroccan Brigade d’Infanterie Parachutiste (BIP).

This year, over 270 troops of the JHC have been testing their ability to fly, maintain and supply their four Chinook and three Merlin helicopters in hot, dusty and barren conditions. Meanwhile, 120 Moroccan soldiers have been training for the whole range of peacekeeping operations and over 300 other Moroccan infantry troops have simply been learning to how operate with a helicopter force. But at the core of the exercise are the officers and men of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment who have planned everything and without whose efforts the exercise would not be taking place.

‘On this exercise we all work together - the Moroccans, the JHC and ourselves – we are working in a multinational, Joint Service environment which is usually seen only in higher formations,’ said Lt Col Colin Risso MC, the Regiment’s Commanding Officer. ‘Together we have developed it into a really good exercise and yet I believe that there is still has even more scope for further development,’ added Lt Col Risso.

This view is shared by WO2 Murray, one of the British Army’s top specialists in running ‘live firing’ training for the British Army. ‘Having come out to Morocco to support this exercise, I am convinced that it is probably one of the best ‘live firing packages’ I’ve ever seen,’ he said.

19-10-10

Citation :

Merlin in Moroccan Rescue

A Royal Air Force Merlin helicopter from RAF Benson was involved in the dramatic rescue of an injured paraglider in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco whilst training in the country.

The Merlin helicopter was one of a number of RAF Merlins and Chinooks training in Morocco as part of Exercise JEBEL SAHARA. The Exercise is chiefly in support of Moroccan troops from le 2eme d’Infanterie Parachutiste, and also allows aircrew and support staff to undertake essential environmental training for current operations.

The dramatic rescue began rather bizarrely with an off-duty Officer in the Royal Air Force. He was taking part in a paragliding expedition in the area and was aware of a paragliding incident that required urgent medical assistance. Due to the location of the incident, it could have been some time before ground assistance could reach the injured man.

The off-duty Flight Lieutenant then spotted a Chinook flying overhead. Recognising it as a UK asset, he called back to the home base for the Chinooks in the UK, RAF Odiham, in an attempt to get a message to the detachment in Morocco.

The Moroccan Services gave close assistance and co-operation and the Merlin was quickly re-tasked and launched to the incident location. Their task was to locate the injured paraglider, deliver Royal Air Force medical personnel to his location, and then extract all to the nearest hospital. This is very similar to the Medical Evacuation or Casualty Evacuation role the Merlin has previously undertaken in operational theatres such as Iraq.

c est 2007 ou 2008 celui la

Citation :

Exercise Jebel Sahara 2010

Following a year of planning, Exercise JEBEL SAHARA 2010 kicked off in October 2010. A detachment made up of 220 personnel from both RAF Odiham and Benson deployed to Morocco supporting a total of 7 aircraft; 4 Chinook and 3 Merlin. The Exercise, chiefly in support of exercise troops from le 2eme Brigade d’Infanterie Parachutiste and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, importantly opens up the opportunity for aircrew and support staff to undertake vital environmental training. Morocco is one of several countries suitable for environmental training and offers excellent exposure to flying hot and high, giving crews and ground staff good experience in dealing with the harsh conditions that prevail in desert environments.
First led by RAF Odiham in 2007, Exercise Project Officer Flight Lieutenant Jen Lavender explained that Exercise JEBEL SAHARA is one of 3 major training exercises organised and conducted by the Support Helicopter Force Headquarters (SHFHQ). Operational Flights from RAF Odiham, 18(B) Squadron, A Flight and 27 Squadron, A Flight deployed for the first phase of the Exercise with the Chinook Operational Conversion Flight (OCF) deploying in the later half. Joining the Chinook crews was also personnel from 28 Squadron, RAF Benson. Exercise Chief of Staff, Squadron Leader James Parker explained the importance of working with the Merlins, “Deploying with the Merlin crews is vital, it reduces the demand on the enabling support elements and shares the manning burden between the 2 units.”

The Exercise is a pivotal training element of the Chinook OCF course. Flight Lieutenant Giles Edwards, an OCF Instructor shared his thoughts, “It is important that rather than using simulators to replicate the hot, high and dusty environment, that students are able to experience it for real with the added benefit and realism of troop movements.” He went on to explain that 3 each of the 10 crewman and pilots undergoing training on the OCF would be deploying to Afghanistan within 2 weeks of their graduation in November. Realism of training therefore must be second to none.
Keeping the Chinooks serviceable is the job of Flight Lieutenant Joe Reynolds, a Junior Engineering Officer (JEngO) and his team from 18/27 Engineering Squadron. Operating in a desert environment brings with it significant engineering challenges, learning and adapting to deal with these challenges is a skill that has to be practised. It is crucial that engineering staff are trained to be competent in working in a desert environment. Joe, already with one Operation HERRICK tour under his belt explained “It is essential that personnel, especially young Techies understand the way that the Chinook operates in a desert environment. This kind of exercise is particularly important for the young guys who have yet to deploy.” Learning how to operate from an austere environment is also good practise, as is learning about the importance of team work and camaraderie. SAC Dan Sharratt, an Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic (AMM) based at RAF Odiham is due to deploy to Afghanistan in February 2011 and feels that the detachment has been a good opportunity to forge friendships, “It’s good fun and has made us all closer mates.”

Logistical support to the Exercise was provided by Flight Lieutenant Lindsay Clark and her team. A week prior to the main deployment, a road convey carrying all the kit required for set up made the 1900 km move from the UK. With 26 artic lorries, the convoy provided an excellent training opportunity for younger members of the team to organise and take part. Logistics personnel have ensured that the detachment has run smoothly – they have set up camp and provided ongoing assistance. By the end of the Exercise, the Movements Team will have dealt with over 500 personnel movements in and out of Morocco and the Catering Team will have provided 450 meals a day at 3 separate sittings plus duty meals and packed lunches. The logistical chain from the UK to Africa is long which has inevitably resulted in communication difficulties; the team have worked hard to ensure that disruption has been kept to a minimum. Flight Lieutenant Clark said, “The Exercise required an extensive logistics effort. Different logistical elements have worked well together to find innovative measures to solve problemsas and when needed.”
With the number of personnel deployed on the Exercise peaking at 220, dealing with administrative and personnel issues becomes a top priority. Heavily involved in the planning for the Exercise and working solidly to ensure that all personnel needs are met are Flight Lieutenant Sarah Dickson and Sergeant Helen Fryett.

One of the first to arrive with the advance party and last to leave, responsibility of the administrative team is varied and ranges from the glamorous task of sorting out the laundry, tackling the complex and ever changing accommodation plot and accommodation bill to dealing with personnel welfare issues. The team have had to work hard to establish good working relationships with local business; most importantly the bank manager! Sarah sees cutting costs as a main factor contributing to the success of the Exercise, “We have been reducing costs where we can. It has been a main priority; the way we accommodate personnel and how we provide them with food - cost has been a factor.”
The Exercise has once again been a success, with 100% of tasking achieved. Wing Commander Reg Barker, Commander Joint Helicopter Force Morocco summed up the Exercise, “Exercise JEBEL SAHARA hones all of the skills we need to operate helicopters effectively. Operating from a tented site, our Headquarters, aircraft engineering and all elements of ground support have been tested. It has been a fantastic experience and has provided vital training to keep us on top of our game ready for modern day operations.”

RAF

tres peu d image de soldats marocains lors de ces exercices excepté celle paru (troupes avec fusil anglais) l année derniere

Des images de nos soldats lors de Jebel Sahara cet année
vous pouvez remarquer qu'ils utilisent le SA80

Retour à l'exercice Jebel Sahara 2010

Atlas-Defense

Qu'est-ce qu'ils ont (font) sur la première photo?

Exellentes image merci Fremo

Mais cette unité utilise des SA80?

Non ... on a pas des unités qui utilisent cet arme je pense

Ah bon si si je il y'en a chez les FAR..

Mais ce sur la photo ont du etre preté par les british?

je sais qu'il y en a ... mais c'est pas pour équiper une unité comme la 2°BIP