ZCZC
BSS-33
EXERCISE-COPE-SOUTH
Exercise Cope South-2020′ to strengthen Bangladesh, US bonding
DHAKA Feb 3, 2020 (BSS) – A six-day combined exercise of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) and Pacific Air Force, USA started on February 1 at BAF Base Bangabandhu with a hope to further strengthen the bonding between the two countries.
“We (BAF and Pacific Air Force) are sharing and cooperating each other to adopt new technologies and systems…Such exercise will not only strengthen the bonding between the two forces but also strengthen the bilateral relation between the two countries,” said Air Vice Marshal Md Sayed Hossain, Air Officer Commanding of BAF Base Bangabandhu, at a briefing this morning at the base at Dhaka Cantonment.
Air Vice Marshal Hossain further said the main goal of the exercise is to ensure maximum utilisation of BAF transport aircrafts and develop interoperability between BAF and the United States Air Force.
“Bangladesh is a disaster prone country and we need to conduct most of the relief distribution activities with civil people, so this type of air operation is very important for us,” he added.
“This exercise will help for assessment of functional suitability of various equipment, guidelines for further improvement and enhance maintenance quality of aircraft of our force,” the Air Vice Marshal further said.
“We also give importance to this kind of exercise…It will enhance our knowledge and work capacity. We also can learn about the system of Bangladesh and hopefully we can use the methods in future humanitarian crisis,” Lieutenant Colonel Holland of Pacific Air Force told BSS.
Expressing his interest in holding further exercise in future, he said, “I hope the relations between the defence forces of the two countries would be strengthened through such joint exercise.”
A total of 250 officials from BAF and 67 USA airpersons are taking part in the exercise, while two C-130 transports of BAF and two C-130 of different models from the US, are being used, said Air Commodore M Mostafa Mahamud Siddiq.
Later, the aircrafts left the city for Sylhet for today’s exercise and returned safely after successful operations.
The airpersons dropped some containers weighing total 100 pounds, with parasuits from 2000 feet height to practicing humanitarian assistance capacity in Panichhora area of Sylhet.
As part of the exercise, a total of 47 paratroopers of BAF and Bangladesh Navy jumped from a BAF aircraft today. Of them, 20 paratroopers jumped from a height of 2,500 feet while 27 used free fall method.
BSS/DH/KU/1933 HRS