The Austrian Armed Forces has been deployed since December 25th to provide people in the cut-off district of Hochgallmig near Landeck with supplies from the air. The provincial warning center requested army helicopters on Christmas Eve. Supply flights from the Pontlatz barracks are planned until further notice.
“As the Armed Forces, we are once again demonstrating our permanent operational capability. It is not only our avalanche task forcesthat are on standby, but also our helicopters are quickly ready to provide support where others reach their limits. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the emergency services and the soldiers for their commitment,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. Brigadier Ingo Gstrein, Military Commander of Tyrol, commented on the fact that the Tyrolean Military Command was able to respond to the state’s request on Christmas Eve: “We soldiers are always ready to help the people of Austria and Tyrol. Even at weekends and on public holidays, we keep barracks and our situation center manned so that we can react quickly.” Following the request on December 24 at 6 p.m., the first reconnaissance flight took place on December 25 at 11 a.m. The Austrian Armed Forces’ Augusta Bell 212 helicopter flies food, medicines, emergency equipment and people from Hochgallmig and helps to create an accurate picture of the situation. https://militaeraktuell.at/lockheed-martin-italien-will-himars-kaufen/ Driven by the increased financial framework based on the national defense budget, the Austrian Armed Forces are currently expanding their capacities as part of the “Mission Forward”. Barracks are being modernized and converted for self-sufficient operation. Other investment priorities are the effectiveness of soldiers and mobility. In the latter area, 449 vehicles (from VW Golfs to large buses), ten Pandur Evolution armored personnel carriers, four HX42M medium recovery vehicles with trailers and 25 recovery trucks were procured in the past year (-> click here for the 2023 procurement overview). One of the largest investments in 2023 was the AW169 helicopter. Five of the multi-purpose helicopters are already available to the Austrian Air Force, and there will be 36 by 2028.
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