The Air Force Exercise “OPERATION TOY DROP” 2.0” took place from Monday 5 to Monday 12 December 2022 in the context of the Military Cooperation between Greece and the USA.

The said exercise was conducted at the military facilities in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA, with the participation of Special Forces – Special Operations Forces personnel from Brazil, Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, the USA, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Thailand.

According to an announcement by the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS), “OPERATION TOY DROP 2.0” is part of the overall planning of HNDGS for the international activities of Military Cooperation of the Hellenic Armed Forces, aiming to enhance the capabilities of the participants in Airborne Operations, in respect of exchange of experiences and familiarization with new tactics, as well as to increase the level of operational readiness, combat capability, understanding and interoperability among participants.

The series of exercises OPERATION TOY DROP is planned and conducted by the United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC) and the US Army Reserve and is the largest Airborne Exercise conducted on American soil. The Hellenic Armed Forces participated for the first time in the said exercise with Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers of the newly-established Special Warfare Command of the HNDGS and the Paratroopers School of the Hellenic Army General Staff.

During the exercise, free falls and static line jumps from C–17, C–27, and C–130 Transport Aircraft as well as multiple combined airborne actions were executed.

As regards the jumps from C-27J Transport Aircraft, these were executed for the first time by the Hellenic Special Forces – Special Operations Forces during the Multinational Exercise B-9 CJSE-22 ” BALKAN SHIELD-22”.

Also read: “TALOS-2/2022” – Air defence exercise with French Rafales and National Guard’s anti-aircraft systems