Wiederholungskurs at Alpnach 2012

EC635

Alpnach is the Swiss Air Force`s primary helicopter base, located just south of Luzern and near to the legendary mountain of Pilatus.

The base is the headquarters to Lufttransportgeschwader 2 - (Air Transport Wing 2); the latter composed of Lufttransportstaffeln 6 and 8 - (LT St 6 & 8).

Apart from daily Air Force helicopter operations it also hosts the helicopter maintenance section of RUAG Aerospace. The helicopter pilots school do phases C and D there and the Super Puma / Cougar conversion courses and part of the NVG-courses also take place there. It is also the home base of Air Transport Squadron 6 on Cougar.

The Swiss Air Force is currently in the process of modernizing its helicopter fleet, with the venerable Aerospatiale Alouette III being replaced by the highly capable Eurocopter EC635 and a upgrade program for the Super Puma.

Each of the helicopter squadrons are now made up of a number of EC635, and Super Pumas and or Cougars. With the helicopters are transferred from squadron to squadron as and when required, and do not carry individual squadron markings.

Puma/Cougar

The EC.635 is mainly used for Training of new Helicopter pilots, transport of light goods, transport of soldiers, transport of high ranking officials and officers of the general staff, fire fighting with the bambybucket, search and recue (SAR) and surveillance flights for the frontier guard, police and other civilian authorities.

For logging-training flights a box can be attached to the bottom of the hull to fix on it different kind of ropes and lifting devices for logging and flights with exterior fright. The available FLIR-turret its currently not planned to get procured because off the Super Puma still is equipped with it and offers more space for a sensor-operator.

The most important tasks for the Super Puma and Cougar are the airlifting of troops and their supplies through inaccessible terrain. Despite some armour, the Super Puma and Cougar are not seen as battlefield transport aircraft. Therefore, its missions are if possible carried out beyond the range of direct fire weapons. The Swiss Super Puma and Cougar also carries no integral weapon systems.

In the event of natural disasters the Super-Puma and Cougar helicopters can be requested by the authorities for a variety of different operations. For forest fire fighting - with containers holding up to 2,500 litres of water -, for removing trees that have been blown down by storms , for evacuation and supply flights to and from areas that have been cut off etc.