THAIDEFENSE-NEWS: TEAK TORCH 2011: Photo Gallery

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 10 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2554

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) and The US Army organized a combined special operations exercise for the first time in 1986 under the code name “Badge Tram” whose main objectives are to develop techniques and tactics in special operations and to strengthen international relationship and the exercise took place once every year.
           In 1994, the participating unit from US was changed to SOCPAC – Special Operations Command Pacific and the new code name was “Balance Torch”. In 1997, there was an economic crisis in Thailand and the frequency of the exercise was changed to once every two years. After the economy was recovered in 2002, the exercise was then organized once every year as before.
          In 2003, RTAF combined Balance Torch and Teak Torch, which is an exercise for RTAF F-16s to be air-to-air refueled by USAF tankers, and name it Balance/Teak Torch. RTAF has joined the exercise every year since 2005 except in 2006 and 2009.
          This year the exercise Teak Torch are divided into two parts, Teak Torch 11-1 and 11-2. The former is held at the Royal Thai Army Aviation Center in Lopburi while the latter is held at Wing 23, and Nampong Aerial Weaponry Range.