War in the (Alpine) Mountains
Organised by 4th Air Combat Brigade (BAC), 4th edition of the Baccarat 2020 exercise took place in mid-September 2020 in the French Alps. The 24th Infantry Regiment (24e RI), the only Army unit composed exclusively of operational reservists, took part and, like the previous Baccarat exercises, focus was on high-intensity combat, this time in a mountainous environment. The Regiment mobilised 38 aircraft (7 different types) from the 1st, 3rd and 5th Combat Helicopter Regiments as well as 1,600 soldiers, mainly from the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade (BIM). This edition, like previous ones, also had an allied dimension. From the UK, three WAH-64D Apache attack helicopters from the 4th Army Air Corps Regiment and a detachment of 45 soldiers participated. The WAH-64D Apache helicopters were operating from Valence-Chabeuil Airport. The exercise took place on a quadrilateral area of over 250 kilometers and included a live-fire zone in the Mailly and Sissonne training areas and an exercise zone in the region of Valence – Grenoble – Gap – Briançon. Although its format has been reduced compared with previous exercises, this pursued the same objective. During 2020, we visited Grenoble Le Versoud airfield, which had been turned into a temporary air base, with around 20 helicopters based here. The 5th RHC from Pau had sent EC665 Tigre and NH90 Caïman helicopters, the 1st RHC from Phalsbourg had sent NH90 Caïman and SA 342M Gazelle, the 3rd RHC from Etain had sent SA 342M Gazelle and Puma helicopters and the EALAT (French Army Aviation School) had positioned AS555UN Fennecs which were used for training and liaison. Beside these helicopters stationed at Grenoble Le Versoud airfield, the other helicopters were operated from various sites, including several forward arming and refueling points (FARPs) in the mountains. Apart from Grenoble Le Versoud airfield, we also visited the army base of Varces-Allières-et-Risset, home to the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade, where a complete mobile military camp had been set up. It was the central operations centre from which the entire operation was coordinated and managed.
We spoke with Lt Laurent of the 1st RHC, normally based at Phalsbourg- Bourscheid, located in North-East France, about experience gained throughout his career and from the recently concluded Exercise Baccarat. Lt Laurent has been flying the NH90 Caïman for about four years and has around 500 flight hours on this type. As Lt Laurent stated, “I chose to fly on the NH90 Caïman because it was brand new in the French Army. I have to say that the NH90 Caïman is a fantastic machine and much better than its predecessor, the Puma, on all fronts. To conduct combat exercises in the French Alps is a tough nut to crack because of the rapidly changing weather, the steep slopes and powerlines.” During Exercise Baccarat, NH90 Caïman helicopters flew different profiles, and all routine troop duties tested, again in the high mountains. Versatility of the NH90 Caïman came in very handy, with or without a door-gunner, fast-roping from the side doors or via the ramp at the back, SPIE (Special Purpose Insertion Extraction) and rigging, which is a rapid extraction procedure in which several commandos hang on a rope under the helicopter. Depending on the configuration, the NH90 can embark up to 16 fully equipped commandos.
The NH90 Caïman can fly in most difficult conditions, thanks to its modern sensors and electronics, the Forward Looking Infra-red (FLIR) on the integral display in the pilot’s helmet which gives him/her all the necessary information needed. Lt Laurent: “This helmet gives our NH90 pilots just that little extra!” Some 20% of the ‘4e’ BAC helicopters took part in the Exercise Baccarat with the Tigre, NH90 TTH and Gazelle from the 1’er and 5’ème RHC plus Gazelle and Puma from the 1’er and 3’ème RHC. For a relatively young formation, Exercise Baccarat was a real test to check their operational capabilities and their combat skills. Air mobility is not unique to the 4ème BAC and working with its European allies is an opportunity to develop tactics and learn from each. Every exercise of this scale provides units with the opportunity to implement realistic scenarios combining rotary and ground manoeuveres, taking advantage of the changing pace offered by the helicopters. We would like to thank Press Officer Gabriel, Captain Sandra, Captain Nathalie and the crew of the 1’er RHC NH90 Caïman for their hospitality and all their help during our visit.
Article and photos: Roelof-Jan Gort & Bjorn van der Flier