The Opening Ceremony of HotBlade 2023 (HB23) took place yesterday, June 7th, at Air Base 11, Beja, from where the aircraft involved in this multinational exercise will be operating.

Hostilities opened early in the morning with the hoisting of the flags of the 12 participating nations.

Presiding over the ceremony, which took place during the afternoon, was the Second Air Commander, Major-General António Temporão, who set the tone for the official start of the exercise.

"The HotBlade exercise is designed to provide participating nations with a wide range of tactical missions in hot, dry and high altitude conditions, with the aim of sharing knowledge, increasing integration, addressing innovation, promoting leadership, initiative and , of course, to strengthen ties between the military forces involved", said Major-General António Temporão.

Organized by the Portuguese Air Force, under the Helicopter Exercise Programme, of the European Defense Agency (EDA), HB23 has the participation of around 750 military personnel and 25 air assets (15 helicopters and 10 fixed-wing aircraft).

This sixth edition will be the last organized directly under EDA responsability, since the Multinational Helicopter Training Center (MHTC) has definitively settled in Portugal. The MHTC will  rise to his own and take the supervision and responsibility for the European Helicopter Programs, notably the Blade series.

Hotblade 2023 runs until the 23rd of June and promises to be the most "HOT" exercise of the year.