NATO’s Deployable Air Command and Control Centre (DACCC) has deployed DARS (Deployable Air Control Centre) package to Larissa Air Base, and the team is setting up the deployed camp for exercise Ramstein Dust II-21. Having arrived at the port of Igoumenitsa, Greece, on board the Hellenic Navy Ship Rodos on March 25, the DACCC convoy continued the road movement to the deployed sites at Larissa and Chortiatis. Hellenic Air Force Staff assisted the NATO Combat Service Support team in unloading the trucks and preparing the build-up.
“At the beginning of exercise Ramstein Dust II 21, which is the first after two years due to COVID-19 restrictions, the DACCC team of approx. 50 air surveillance and control experts are ready to showcase the special capability we offer to NATO. During our ten-day execution phase in mid-April, we will integrate our systems with Hellenic Air Force air surveillance and control systems and control Hellenic fighter training activities,” said DACCC Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Christoph Pliet.
With the build-up of the site facilities complete and all systems connected, the Communication and Information System specialists and NATO Communication and Information Agency experts initiated first equipment tests and verified the live-radar feed from Hellenic Air Force sources. As a final step, the team has run tests on the Air Command and Control System (ACCS) functionalities and connections to ensure the DARS is ready to conduct the mission.
NATO has conducted the deployment and readiness exercise series Ramstein Dust since 2016 to train and demonstrate its ability to deploy the DARS to a remote site, establish operational capability and connect into Host Nation and NATO air command and control networks; the ability to deploy to another Nation in compliance with COVID restrictions further showcases the Alliance’s resilience and ability to cooperate in demanding times.
