During the first three weeks of November, the Airmobile Brigade from Assen will hold a major exercise in several places in the Netherlands. More than a thousand army and air forces and thirty-five helicopters are taking part in the Falcon Autumn exercise. Defense also exercises in and above Drenthe.
During the exercise, the soldiers train to carry out large-scale airborne operations. In addition to Dutch units, Falcon Autumn also includes military personnel and helicopters from Germany, Poland and the United States.
During Falcon Autumn, almost the entire province of Drenthe is a training area where Apache, Chinook and Cougar helicopters can fly low over. Only the area north of Eelde and the vicinity of Eexterveen are not designated as low-flying areas between October 31 and November 18.
Airfields in Drachten and Valkenburg are used for the exercises, which serve as bases. Soldiers are also deployed on the ground, which can lead to Defense vehicles in the streets, says the Airmobile Brigade. “But it’s not going to be massive.”
Furthermore, practice ammunition and smoke grenades are used. This does not cause real shots, but the sound of the exercises can be clearly heard. The Ministry of Defense announces in advance where exercises are taking place to warn local residents about possible noise nuisance.