U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted large-scale air assault training operations in Hohenfels Training Area, Germany during Saber Junction 19.

An air assault operation is a complex synchronization of moving elements. Extensive planning is required to organize the aircraft movement, the artillery fires and the logistical challenges of supplying and sustaining a large number of Soldiers and their equipment in a multiple-day, sustained engagement.

U.S. Pilots used their CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters to transport critical equipment and combat vehicles while conduct air assault training operation.  CH-47 Chinook helicopters belonging to the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade transport vehicles performed an air assault en route to urban combat operations in Hohenfels Training Area as part of Saber Junction exercise, according to a recent service news release.

Saber Junction 19 is an exercise involving nearly 5,400 participants from 16 ally and partner nations at the U.S. Army’s Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels Training Areas, Sept. 3 to Sept. 30, 2019. SJ19 is designed to assess the readiness of the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade to execute land operations in a joint, combined environment and to promote interoperability with participating allies and partner nations.

Also, the U.S. Army Paratroopers conducted field testing of its newest Army Ground Mobility Vehicles or GMV. The U.S. Army’s GMV program provides Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) a lightweight vehicle to move Soldiers and their equipment quickly over complex and difficult cross-country terrain.