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Airborne Operations In airborne operations at the former Clark Air Base, the Philippine and U.S. Marines performed several parachute jumps. "The purpose of the jumps is to help us better familiarize ourselves with the AFP and how they conduct airborne operations," said U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) SSgt. Wesley Schaffer. "It is a learning experience to see the different types of efforts and equipment that the services use."
The jumps displayed the different techniques used by each service in lower altitude static-line jumps and higher altitude free-fall jumps. Static-line jumps are done at lower altitudes because a line attached to the parachute releases the parachute after the jumper is a safe distance from the aircraft. The jumpers in each group were a mix of Philippine Marines and U.S. Marines. The Philippine Marines said they profited from the training as much as the U.S. Marines. "We are very lucky to have counterparts in the U.S. Reconnaissance Marines, who we can train with and ensure we are always ready to go," said Philippine Marine SSgt. Macario Maquira. "We will deploy very soon after this exercise is over, so any training we can get will help us out." In another part of the exercise at the former Clark Air Base, rockets fired from a U.S. AH-1W Cobra helicopter sped across the valley and exploded on the ridgeline. The helicopter continued its attack, peppering the simulated enemy with its 20-milimeter machinegun, then banked hard to cover the withdrawal of the aircraft as mortar rounds fell on the objective. Ducking low, the helicopter disappeared between mountain peaks as it circled around to find more "enemy." The 90 U.S. Marines participating in this portion of the exercise along with six Cobra helicopters gained valuable experience working with AFP combat veterans in a country fighting guerrilla separatist groups. This area of the Philippines offers a much larger training area to shoot in and rugged terrain to practice low-altitude flying. The U.S. Marines also provided night vision familiarization for the Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots who flew missions in the Cobra helicopters with their U.S. counterparts. "The Filipinos are getting goggles, night vision devices, and FLIRs [Forward Looking Infrared sights]," said USMC Maj. Stephen W. Hall. The U.S. Marines also gave their PAF counterparts classes on FLIRs, electromagnetic spectrum, and tactical employment of techniques and equipment.
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