SR24 UK Rapid Air Land in the Baltics

A 3 Para Signaller communicating with the crew of an RAF C-17 over Kiltsi temporary airfield [© Bob Morrison]

The second phase of the Baltics region Joint Forcible Entry by US and UK troops on NATO Exercise SWIFT RESPONSE 24 involved a Rapid Air Land, reports Bob Morrison.

Mid-May 2024: Following a 22-hour delay to the initial SWIFT RESPONSE 24 (SR24) parachute insertion at Nurmsi drop zone, about one hour by road southeast of Estonian capital Tallinn, which on peacetime safety grounds had to be postponed because of severe weather, RAF and USAF transport aircraft conducted a Rapid Air Land operation at the former Cold War era airbase on the Baltic Coast near Kiltsi. After photographing the delayed UK and US parachute drop at Nurmsi on the Saturday morning, I drove two hours westward to Kiltsi to watch and photograph the RAL; which originally had been scheduled to commence at first light on this the second day but was now taking place near simultaneously with the paradrop as and when aircraft became available.

16 Air Assault Brigade Soldiers boarding and aboard an RAF ATLAS C.1 during SWIFT RESPONSE ~ and you thought the budget airlines cram passengers in? [Crown Copyright: AS1 Jason Russell]

¤ RAF ATLAS disembarks vehicles during SWIFT RESPONSE [Crown Copyright: Cpl Aaron J Stone]
¤ RAF ATLAS disembarks personnel during SWIFT RESPONSE 2024 at Kiltsi [© Bob Morrison]

The early morning parachute drop at Nurmsi was conducted from three US Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, which then joined Royal Air Force C-17A Globemaster and A400M Atlas aircraft for the Rapid Air Land at Kiltsi. By the time I had travelled almost 200km on mostly back roads across Estonia to Kiltsi the RAL was well underway, with WMIK Land Rovers, Jackals and Foxhounds already delivered to secure the airfield and support the first waves of Airborne (3 PARA) and Light Recce Strike Infantry (1 R IRISH) which had fought off the defenders and occupied the base.

Fast, nimble and heavily armed WMIK (Weapons Mount Installation Kit) Land Rovers are amongst the first vehicles delivered during a Rapid Air Land operation [© Bob Morrison]

Supacat JACKAL 2 vehicles are also early arrivals, I spotted two in the distance screening the opposite side of the live runway at Kiltsi but on operational safety grounds could not get closer to them [© Bob Morrison]

An RAF Atlas prepares to take off for a fresh load after disembarking Paras at the far end of the Kiltsi runway [© Bob Morrison]

A stream of both USAF, as here, and RAF C-17 Globemasters conducted the RAL at Kiltsi [© Bob Morrison]

RAF Chinook HC.MK 6 helicopters from 18 Squadron also disembarked troops on Kiltsi airfield during Exercise SWIFT RESPONSE 2024 [Crown Copyright: PO Joel Rouse]

After photographing one wave of aircraft delivering troops and vehicles, I left the airfield in mid-afternoon to check into my hotel with the intention of returning a couple of hours later to catch the next wave. Unfortunately on my way back I tripped and fell heavily, fragmenting my right humerus at the shoulder joint, and so regrettably I had to withdraw for medical attention. Full marks to the team at Läänemaa Hospital, who speedily and expertly dealt with me on a Saturday evening, and special thanks to the off-duty operator who left town festivities to X-ray my shoulder to ensure the doctor could see the full extent of my injury.

Foxhound Light Protection Patrol Vehicles were transported by USAF C-17 aircraft during SWIFT RESPONSE [Crown Copyright: Cpl Aaron J Stone]

The Foxhound LPPV is primarily used by 1 R IRISH, the Light Recce Strike Infantry Battalion component of the UK’s elite 16 ABCT [© Bob Morrison]

Once 3 PARA had winkled out the enemy from around Kiltsi airfield they tabbed on to the next objective ~ a few days later the Paras would drop onto the island of Saaremaa to conclude their participation in the Baltic region phase of SWIFT RESPONSE 2024 [© Bob Morrison]

Medics are evaluated as they treat simulated casualties of the initial action before they are flown out on the next available aircraft to move back through the medical support chain [© Bob Morrison]

Quads were used to both transport ammo and supplies forward to advancing troops and return (notional) battlefield casualties to the airfield [© Bob Morrison]

On Day 3 (Sunday) an M270B1 MLRS (known as GMLRS in Royal Artillery service) was delivered by A400M Atlas for the first time. In addition to planning to photograph this event, I had also made arrangements to work with 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment, the Light Recce Strike Infantry Battalion component of 16 Airborne Brigade Combat Team or ABCT. However as my broken right shoulder, now in a sling, prevented me taking photographs or writing notes I had to reluctantly leave the exercise area to gingerly make my way back to Tallinn to ensure I was able to catch the very early Monday morning flights back to the UK via Riga in Latvia; I was booked in to start a course of Radiotherapy in Devon that afternoon, so even though SR24 was still underway I simply didn’t have time to hang around any more.

¤ RAF Movers load a GMLRS onboard a RAF ATLAS ready for take-off [Crown Copyright: AS1 Jason Russell]
¤ This GMLRS that had been flown forward onboard the RAF ATLAS seen taking off in the background
[Crown Copyright: Cpl Aaron J Stone]

Hopefully the accompanying photos will give at least a small flavour of the SR24 RAL in the Baltic region earlier this year. Please accept my apologies for taking so long to compile this second feature on SR24 but, without boring you with the details, my course of radiotherapy treatment and my subsequent recuperation have been fatiguing and as my immune system took a bit of a battering my shoulder injury recovery has been very slow.

Seen here landing, taxiing, turning and taking off again from the decommissioned Soviet era runway at Kiltsi, the A400M Atlas C.1 (which replaced the C-130J Hercules) can land on and take off from improvised airstrips carrying up to 37 tonnes of cargo or 116 troops with their equipment [© Bob Morrison]

My thanks to all British and Estonian press officers and all UK and US military personnel who assisted me on SR24 in Estonia. Bob

Footnote: SWIFT RESPONSE 24 began with six near-simultaneous joint forcible entries (JFE) into Estonia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, and Sweden. Although there have been larger individual exercise JFE parachute drops by US Airborne Forces with NATO Allies (most notably the US-led JOINT WARRIOR 96 over Fort Bragg with the UK’s 5 Airborne Brigade and the Polish-led ANAKONDA 16 multinational mass drop over Torun) the geographical spread, complexity and total number of participants put SR24 in a class of its own.

See also:-

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