Defense will practice with low-flying helicopters over Drenthe next week. On Monday and Tuesday Apache attack helicopters can be seen over Drenthe during the exercise ‘Warhammer’.
The exercise will start in the North on Monday, which means that there will also be flying low over Drenthe. That could be anywhere above Drenthe, according to a spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In the municipalities of Westerveld, Midden-Drenthe and Aa en Hunze, the Apaches are placed extra low for certain training purposes. A day later, training will take place in the east of the Netherlands, but Hoogeveen can also be visited that day.
“The helicopters come to Drenthe from Leusderheide. There is training for various missions. Low flying is not special for us. We do that every day, but now we do it at a different place so it will be more noticeable,” says the spokesperson.
During Warhammer, the Air Force and the Land Forces conduct joint exercises. “It involves simulated attacking and disabling ground targets under increased threat,” the Air Force said. Low-flying is training in seeking cover behind obstacles such as trees and hills. “Flying low and taking advantage of the terrain coverage is a way of self-protection for helicopter pilots. However, this requires specific training and experience.”
On Mondays, training takes place from 12:00 to 23:00. A day later, a start will be made at 09:00 and the helicopters must also be in by 23:00. In the following days, flights will take place in the Central Netherlands and North Holland.
It is not allowed to fly over cities and the Ministry of Defense has announced that it will limit nuisance as much as possible. “If people have complaints, they can report this via the online complaint form. Then we can try to prevent even more nuisance with a following exercise.”