The Philippine Army (PA) and United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) conducted an air assault planning exercise which highlighted their capability to operate the Black Hawk helicopter while the Patriot, an American missile defense system heavily used by Ukraine in resisting Russia’s invasion, was utilized in a separate exercise participated by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) as part of the ongoing Exercise Balikatan, the military reported on Saturday, April 22.

(Philippine Army soldiers, with guidance from their US Army Pacific [USARPAC] counterparts, take defensive positions during the Balikatan air assault planning exercise at the Aviation Regiment Airstrip, Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on April 21, 2023. Photo by PA)

In Nueva Ecija, 81 personnel from the PA’s 99^th Infantry Battalion, 7^th Infantry Division and their USARPAC counterparts held a “hot and cold load training” aboard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at the Aviation Regiment Airstrip, Fort Magsaysay on April 21.

“Cold load training allows soldiers to load and unload the helicopter while it is not in operation. In contrast to cold load, hot load training allows the troops to load and unload a fully functioning UH-60 Black Hawk with full combat gear,” said Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson.

Cold and hot training is an important training in the military to develop the troops’ ability to enter and exit an aircraft during a live run.

(Participants move towards the aircraft during the commencement of PH-US Balikatan air assault exercise in Zambales on April 19, 2023. Photo by Philippine Air Force / PAF)

A separate air assault exercise was conducted by the PAF in Zambales on April 19 utilizing two Black Hawks to demonstrate the troops’ ability to be quickly deployed in conflict areas and during medical evacuation (medevac), as well as to give them a hands-on experience in performing heliborne assault operations.

Meanwhile, personnel from PAF’s 960^th Air and Missile Defense Group (AMDG) took part in the Air and Missile Defense subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) together with American counterparts from the US Army's 38^th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at the Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command (NETDC) Center in San Antonio, Zambales on April 19.

(Experts from the United States Army demonstrate to Filipino troops the specifications and capabilities of the Patriot missile system and its missile launcher during an Air and Missile Defense subject matter expert exchange [SMEE] at the Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command Center in San Antonio, Zambales on April 19, 2023. Photo by Philippine Air Force)

During the training, American subject matter experts demonstrated the capabilities of the Patriot missile defense system and their missile launchers, and taught the Filipino soldiers how to operate the weapons, said Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, PAF spokesperson.

The Patriot, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a missile defense system consisting of radars, command-and-control technology, and multiple types of interceptors, according to its manufacturer, Raytheon Missiles and Defense.

Considered as the "world’s most advanced air and missile defense system," Patriot is used to detect, identify and defeat tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, advanced aircraft and other threats, and is the foundation of integrated air and missile defense for 18 countries, Raytheon added.

This is the first time that the US military deployed the Patriot missile system to the Philippines and Consuelo believes that the knowledge obtained by the PAF personnel will be beneficial to their modernization efforts.

“The aforementioned exercise broadened the understanding of the Air and Missile System Operators of 960^thAMDG on air and missile defense operations. Likewise, it strengthened ties and comradery between the Philippine Air Force and its US counterparts,” Consuelo said.

Bangalore torpedo, APOBS

Meanwhile, PA and USARPAC personnel fired a Bangalore torpedo and anti-personnel obstacle breaching system (APOBS) when they trained in a combat engineer simulation exercise at the 1^st Brigade Combat Team Demo Range in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on April 21.

(Philippine Army [PA] and United State Army combat engineers fire an Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System [APOBS] in the second phase of the Combat Engineer Simulation Exercise at the 1st Brigade Combat Team Demo Range, Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on April 21, 2023. Photo by PA)

Trinidad explained that the Bangalore torpedo is an “explosive charge” placed within one or several connected tubes that is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach the target directly.

Meanwhile, APOBS is an “explosive line charge system” that allows safe breaching through complex and anti-personnel obstacles, particularly on land mine fields.

“The said exercise highlighted the interoperability of the Philippine Army and US Army combat engineers in obstacle reduction and elimination. It also bolstered their capability to provide close-in determining capability in support of maneuver forces,” Trinidad noted.

The combat engineers also conducted an SMEE on highly mobile engineer equipment where they dug running trenches and squad firing positions to increase their survivability in combat operations.