Wind prevented military personnel from the UK, Germany, and the US from landing in the designated zone during the Falcon Leap exercises in Belgium.
The weather does not always agree to be ideal. Sometimes it dumps snow, pours thunderstorms with thunder and lightning, sometimes scorches mercilessly with sun, and now — wind. Again it failed to please. Because it blew at exactly the moment when Belgium is hosting the largest international NATO parachute landing exercises, organized by the Netherlands. At least the name was chosen just right: Falcon Leap translates as “The Falcon’s Jump.”
NATO’s “Falcons” Fell Short…
The incident occurred in the Belgian commune of Hechtel-Eksel in Limburg province. Five representatives from the US, UK, and Germany during the jump could not control their parachutes and hung together on trees in a forest, like ornaments on a New Year tree. The bouncing falcons had to be rescued by the hard-working rescuers from the RED team — a specialized high-altitude rescue group that exists precisely for such cases.
By the time the climbers with ladders arrived, one of the military men had managed to untangle himself from the lines and safely reached the ground. The others continued to hang. Two of them were taken to hospital with serious injuries, two others got off with minor bruises. The Belgian rescuers were not injured as a result of the special operation.
In total, 600 paratroopers from 11 countries were involved in the exercises, including the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Romania, Greece, Italy, the US, and Sweden. The exercises run from September 7 to 18, with flights departing from Eindhoven airbase, and landings conducted over the territories of the Netherlands and Belgium.
According to Belgian rescuers, about 250 paratroopers were involved in the area of the incident.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident and stated that it is coordinating actions with Belgian authorities and participating countries. The nationality of the injured and the nature of their injuries are not officially disclosed, but the media found out anyway.
Belgian military personnel, like their colleagues from the US, Britain, and Germany, are refraining from comment. And what can you say? Wind is wind, even in Africa. But NATO’s “formidable” falcons, it seems, this time looked more like grasshoppers than professional military personnel.
