About 50 kilometers off the coast of Cabo Frio, in Rio de Janeiro, the largest ship in the Brazilian fleet is sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. In the open sky, helicopters approach the 204-meter-long vessel, the Multipurpose Aircraft Ship (NAM) Atlântico.
This was the setting for one of the activities of Operation Poseidon 2021, t training by the Armed Forces that started on August 28 and continues until Saturday (04), with the employment of 830 soldiers.
In this edition, Operation Poseidon 2021 features an unprecedented exercise: helicopter landings and takeoffs with the ship in motion. The activity brings together the Navy's Pegasus aircraft; Jaguar, Army; and Caracal, from the Air Force; all model H225M, a strategic project of the Ministry of Defense.
On Thursday (02), the Defense Minister, Walter Souza Braga Netto; folder authorities; and the Navy Commander, Fleet iral Almir Garnier Santos, accompanied the activities aboard the NAM Atlântico.
Minister Braga Netto was briefed on the details of the exercise and attended some of the activities. He remained aboard the NAM from Thursday to Friday (03).
The Head of t Operations of the Ministry of Defense, iral Petronio Augusto Siqueira de Aguiar, recalled that, in 2020, similar training took place, however, with the ship anchored at sea.
“Now, we have entered a new phase, with the ship sailing. This has a noticeable difference for pilots, who need to qualify. We will have other phases to complete in the coming years.”, clarified.
Two pilots from the Army and three from the Air Force, with their respective crews, participated in Operation Poseidon 2021. During about 90 minutes, each team landed seven times on the ship.
Among them, Lieutenant Aviator Victor Gaia Cardoso, from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). He explained that, before the flights with his crew, observations were made of the procedures practiced by Navy aviators.
“Perception is what matters the most. We need to be aware of the right time to land. All this was modified, trained and readapted”, scored.
On the flight deck, called convoo, where the helicopters land on the ship, there are demarcations called landing points.
“Each one of them has a peculiarity. The one further ahead, as it is a more open area, receives wind from all sides and makes our landing a little difficult, while the intermediate ones are easier to land”, explained Lieutenant.
In addition to the landings, the military practiced Combat Diver infiltration exercises, Aeromedical Evacuation (EVAM) of wounded people and live fire on a drifting target. In the first activity, called Homem ao Mar, there was a simulation of a castaway at a certain point in the ocean.
In the demonstration, the pilots of the search and rescue aircraft receive the information, move to the site and two divers jump to start the procedure.
“The patient is placed on a stretcher, which is lifted by of the search and rescue team, and the aircraft returns to the point, which is the ship”, detailed Sergeant Rômulo Monteiro, from the Navy.
Multipurpose Aircraft Ship
The NAM Atlântico was acquired by the Brazilian Navy in 2018, from the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. The ship is capable of strategically deploying a force of helicopters to operate in different scenarios, such as peacekeeping missions. It transports up to 16 rotary-wing aircraft, that is, helicopters, and can receive the landing of up to seven aircraft simultaneously, and transport up to 12 aircraft in its hangar.
Street: Ministry of Defense
