Logistics in the Sky and on the Ground

One such asset is a tent camp in a corner of the Újmajor training area, which is surrounded by a pipeline system rather than a fence. Working in a sea of taps and pressure gauges at a Germany-led Bulk Fuel Installation (BFI), the soldiers are exercising how to “cross-refuel" each other’s assets. Different vehicles often have only one thing in common, namely that all of them need refueling. Still, as the soldiers have learned, sometimes the fuel inlet of a vehicle may differ in size and shape from the usual ones. The participants of Exercise Capable Logistician are trained to deal with these situations too.

Not far from the BFI, excited preparations were being made upon the approach of a C–17 from HDF Pápa Air Base, which flew three consecutive circles to imitate airdrops. On the first occasion, the aircraft dropped the heaviest cargos, then in the remaining two circles some water-filled barrels imitating lighter and smaller cargos were released with parachute. While flying the last extra circle, the C–17 with Hungarian tailflash did not “bring" anything, it just released flares, which was a spectacular attraction for the troops deployed in the Bakony training area.

Photos by the author