site.btaEuropean Tactical Airlift Programme Held at Bezmer Air Base

The European Tactical Airlift Programme – Course (ETAP-C 24-3) is being held at Bezmer Air Base and in temporarily reserved areas of Bulgarian airspace until September 20, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. Participating in the international exercise are aviation equipment, crews and personnel from the air forces of Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Lithuania, Poland, the European Tactical Airlift Centre (Zaragoza) and the European Air Transport Command (Eindhoven). The head of the training is Colonel Lazarin Lazarov, Commander of Military Unit 24 900 - Sofia.

The European Tactical Airlift Programme aims to provide air transport crews with a comprehensive airlift tactics course to enhance tactical knowledge, to expand the personal comfort zone in unfriendly scenarios and to increase survivability in this airspace. Another objective is to prepare the Anti-Aircraft Missile troops to operate on low-flying low-speed targets. Some of the tasks seek to improve Air Force procedures for comprehensive logistics support by the host country.