Dhaka:The five-day joint air exercise titled 'Exercise Cope South-2026', conducted by the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) alongside the US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), has successfully concluded. The final ceremony took place at the Bangladesh Air Force Base A K Khandker located in Dhaka Cantonment.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the event marked the participation of Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations) Air Vice Marshal Rusad Din Asad as the chief guest. During his speech, he emphasized the significance of joint training initiatives and the valuable exchange of experiences facilitated by the exercise. Colonel Henry E. Plagrodot, the head of the US delegation, discussed various activities that were part of the exercise.
The exercise included comprehensive training and experience-sharing sessions focusing on the operation and maintenance of C-130J and C-130B transport aircraft. Key areas addressed during the sessions were aviation safety, hazardous materials management, aviation medicine, air cargo transportation, airbase security, and post-aircraft accident firefighting and rescue operations.
In total, 120 members of the Bangladesh Air Force and 18 personnel from the US Pacific Air Forces participated in the exercise, as noted by the ISPR release.