On October 17, 2016, the German Army's new training facility, the Air Mobility Training and Exercise Center (Ausb/ÜbZLbwglk), was set up.
The motto of the air mobility training and practice center is “Together – strong!”. However, this doesn't just mean working across military branches or even multinationals - it means, above all, that strengths complement each other and burdens are borne together.
The air mobility training and exercise center primarily serves to provide operational training for formations and units of the army's air mobility forces, in all intensities.
“With the infrastructure options including an airfield, simulation options and training options at local and national training areas in the target structure, the air mobility training and exercise center has a Europe-wide unique selling point and is therefore also a suitable nucleus for a multinational development,” explains the commander of the center , Colonel Jörn Rohmann.
The main requirement for training in the spectrum of airmobile operations is the Rapid Forces Division (DSK), including the Dutch 11th Airmobile Brigade (11th LMB) and the Special Forces Command (KSK). In addition, there are forces from the air force and the navy as well as Dutch forces from the multinational network capable of participating in or supporting airmobile operations, the international helicopter training center, leadership elements from the STF network and other army infantry forces.
Others in need are the Panzergrenadier troops, the engineer troops, the artillery troops and the army reconnaissance troops as well as SKB support forces as part of military evacuation operations (MilEvakOp). The forces to be considered here are, for example, airmobile forces for command, operational and combat support of the Army, staffs for the leadership of airmobile operations or forces for the leadership of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) as well as airborne components for electronic warfare for close support in operations. In addition, there are airmobile forces from the Central Medical Service and the SKB for command and operational support as well as other forces from all organizational areas and, if necessary, forces and resources from other armed forces in the multinational network that are capable of participating in or supporting airmobile operations.
The Mission of the Air Mobility Training and Exercise Centerincludes:
- Support of airmobile forces:in troop training and driver training to achieve or maintain operational readiness, and also to achieve or maintain operational readiness as part of the training of command post personnel. In addition, during the certification of the NRF/EU BG units and as part of the tactical training of airmobile officers.
- Advising the combat or combat support troopsin training to promote cooperation in the context of air mobility and in relation to support from helicopter forces
- Support for the Bundeswehr helicopter unitsin further aviation training, in the shooting training of the TIGER combat helicopter as well as in the training of BordSichSoldtaktOp, Close Combat Attack (CCA) and Close Air Support (CAS) (the Ausb/ÜbZLbwglk assumes the role of a “shooting training center”)
- Support of the International Helicopter Training Centerin aviation training and further education, the course-related training of management personnel and in the BordSichSoldtaktOp training.
„Das Ausbildungs- und Übungskonzept in Celle basiert auf der Kombination der Ausbildungsfelder Simulation, Führungs-/Gefechtsstandübungen, praktisches Handlungstraining und Gefechtsübung im Gelände. Diese können sowohl einzeln als auch aufeinander aufbauend genutzt werden, je nach Ausbildungsziel und Ausbildungsstand der übenden Truppe.“ unterstreicht Oberst Rohmann.
Units and units of the army's airmobile forces can practice demanding procedures in Celle, for which there is often no infrastructure in the home units. The few helicopters available only have a limited number of flying hours, which are also needed for pilot training. The training and practice center brings together such interests - the airport, training area and infrastructure are already on site. This interaction ensures that scarce resources are better used and cohesion is strengthened. This allows pilots, aircraft crews and infantry to develop a realistic mutual understanding of processes and procedures. In addition to these synergies, this concept also promises time savings, relief for the troops and cost efficiency.
The training and exercise center currently has around 150 military posts - not just for paratroopers and army pilots. The expertise of the air force as well as pioneer, artillery and telecommunications forces and medics can also be found.
structure
The air mobility training and practice center is divided into leadership, staff, flight safety, aviation doctor, simulation and command post operations area, management service and flight operations squadron.
At the head of the center is the commander of the Air Mobility Training and Exercise Center and site senior in Celle.
The flight safety department monitors compliance with all factors relevant to flight safety during flight operations as part of exercises and training and monitors compliance with legal and official requirements for environmental protection at the location.
The aviation doctor is an advisory medical officer in all aspects of practice and training and leads the aviation medical service at the air mobility training and exercise center.
Kernauftrag des Bereichs „Simulation und Gefechtsstandbetrieb“ ist die zuverlässige, planbare, zeitsparende und zugleich wirtschaftliche Durchführung einer simulationsgestützten, ebenen-gerechten und realitätsnahen Ausbildung für Führer-, Fach- und Funktionspersonal.
For airmobile operations, procedural training is carried out using virtual tactical simulation up to the level of a reinforced company.
The focus of the virtual simulation is the training and application of procedures for the use of airborne forces in all operational scenarios. Specific operational scenarios are developed in advance in close consultation with the training troops and standard scenarios are kept available for the Celle Army Air Base and the training area; Other Bundeswehr simulation locations can also be integrated and used if necessary.
Der Teilbereich Gefechtsstandbetrieb ist mit einer simulierten Gefechtsstandumgebung unter Verwendung von FüInfoSysH FüWES/HERGIS in das Simulationssystem eingebunden.
The management service focuses on supporting army units in the installation, implementation, evaluation and follow-up of training and exercises under the direction of the respective unit or association leaders.
Exercise sections are accompanied by media teams, evaluated, documented and made available to the respective head of training and exercise for their evaluation.
The so-called VDN teams - VDN stands for preparation, implementation and follow-up - advise and actively support in all phases of training and exercises, in particular by creating frameworks, training documents, instructing training staff and requesting training resources.
The flight operations center provides the person responsible for flight operations, who is also the head of the management service, with a central point for coordinating all flight operations.
The flight operations squadron provides all the services necessary for the safe, rapid and orderly handling of flight services for all users of Celle airfield: air traffic control is mainly located in the airport control center, the “tower” of the air base. The flight advisory service brings together all data and information about airspace used, closed airspace, shooting plans, etc.; The resulting flight plans are transmitted to all affected air traffic control centers at home and abroad.
As a sub-unit of the flight operations squadron, the advisory center of the Bundeswehr's geoinformation service provides aviation weather advice and weather observation as well as the weather warning service at the Celle army airfield.
In order to ensure the operational readiness of all the necessary systems, the members of the BtrbTDst FS-Elo Radar Radio ensure that all civil and military requirements for a commercial airport are met at Celle Army Air Base through constant maintenance and, if necessary, repair of the air traffic control radio and radar systems .
The air traffic control train is supplemented by theFlight Operations Support Group, which, in addition to maintaining the airfield infrastructure, primarily acts as a service provider for practicing associations and provides various skills in the management of the airfield and the handling of guest aircraft.
Training facility with its own airport
The infrastructure of Celle airfield covers almost all types of air traffic. The almost two kilometer long asphalt runway is fully approved for visual and instrument flight rules and is suitable for transport aircraft up to medium size, such as the A400M or the C-130J Hercules.
In exceptional cases, it could even be used by combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter or Tornado. The airfield has various navigation facilities, including precision approaches, six grass landing strips and various precision landing areas.
Celle verfügt über fünf Luftfahrzeughallen, die zusammengenommen ca. 10.200 m² Stell- und Unterbringungsfläche für LFZ bieten, aber auch für Ausbildungs- und Übungsvorhaben genutzt werden.
The training and exercise center has up to 200 of its own accommodation places for the practicing troops - over 400 permanent accommodation places are planned. In addition, the training and exercise center within the barracks has a total of over 23,000 m² of training space available; these can be used for training projects and as a bivouac room.
The Scheuen training area provides training areas for airborne forces in the immediate vicinity (5 min flight time). The expansion of the on-site training area as a drop-off zone for parachute jumps was completed in mid-2017.
Die Umlaufzeit (Start bis Landung) für eine C-160 mit 60 Fallschirmspringern beträgt ca. 30 Minuten. „Time over Target (ToT)“ ist ca. 5 Minuten nach dem Start. Die Ausmaße des Platzes erlauben ein Absetzen von 18 Springern pro Anflug und Tür. Mit insgesamt zwei Anflügen können somit zwei Fallschirmjägerzüge innerhalb von 15-20 Minuten nach Start vom Flugplatz mit einer Maschine im automatischen Fallschirmsprungeinsatz verbracht werden.
Orientation towards multinationality
Bereits 2018 war die Unterstützung von Großübungen der DSK, beispielsweise im Rahmen der Übung „Schneller Adler 2018“ möglich. Mit dem Jahr 2019 wird die Übungsreihe „GRIFFIN“ ein fester Bestandteil des Übungsspektrums im Ausbildungs- und Übungszentrum Luftbeweglichkeit. Mit der Einbindung des Ausbildungszentrums in das Rahmennationskonzept „Framework Nation Concept“ (FNC) wird die multinationale Ausrichtung in der Ausbildung und Übung für luftbewegliche Kräfte am Standort Celle noch deutlich zunehmen– nicht zuletzt auch in der geplanten Defender-Großübung im Jahr 2020.
“Today, national and alliance defense is only possible on a multinational basis and Europe will also have to become more involved in the future. Here, airmobile operations offer the opportunity to react together with allies and partners to aggressors and surprising threats in an appropriate time and to carry the fight forward,” emphasizes Colonel Rohmann. Even though the air mobility training and exercise center still has to grow to full strength, the following already applies: “We will enable the troops to achieve the maximum with our personnel.”
Author: Sergeant MajorAndrea Neuer, Ausb/ÜbZLbwglk