Photo By Staff Sgt. Reece Heck | A U.S. Air Force refueling point specialist with the 100th Air Refueling Wing prepares...... read more read more
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BUCHAREST — U.S. Special Operations Forces worked together with Romanian Allies during a bilateral exercise to boost NATO readiness Europe through aerial drills at Bobac Air Base, July 11-25, 2025.
Romanian special operations forces with the 53rd Commando Battalion and the U.S. Air Force 352d Special Operations Wing, RAF Mildenhall, U.K., worked to enhance joint operational capabilities through free-fall jumps, low-level flying, infiltration and exfiltration drills, and the establishment of ground refueling points.
“We’re working with their ground forces, rotary forces, and fixed-wing forces,” said the mission commander for the 352d SOW. “The big goal in this instance is helping the Romanians improve [air capabilities] and interoperability.”
Over the course of two weeks, the Allied nations executed joint airdrops and infiltration scenarios across multiple landscapes. Over 500 Romanian jumpers conducted free-fall operations, supported by American MC-130J Commando II and Romanian C-27J Spartan aircraft. Concurrently, the 100th Air Refueling Wing established and operated ground refueling points in support of Romanian IAR-330 Puma helicopters.
A combined team of 10 Romanian and 15 U.S. aircrews demonstrated formation flying, low-level approaches, and short-field landing drills during day and nighttime operations, sharpening their ability to operate side-by-side in complex environments.
“As we look at what SOCEUR, NATO, and our Allies are doing, I think we’re learning it’s good to have friends in a lot of places,” the mission commander said.
Exercises like this continue to strengthen joint capabilities through unity, readiness, and trust, enabling Allies to respond quickly and effectively in times of crisis.
“We’ve been training, we’ve standardized our tactics. It makes it easier if a conflict ever comes up,” he said. “It makes us more effective, because then you have the might of multiple countries going at one enemy or one problem set.”
The exercise highlighted the importance of working with Allied nations, expanding the reach of SOF.
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| Date Taken: | 07.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.25.2025 08:27 |
| Story ID: | 546363 |
| Location: | BUCHAREST, RO |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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