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RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — U.S. Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket System crews, alongside Belgian and Norwegian forces, recently executed Exercise Thunderbolt Convergence March 24–27, 2025, designed to test how quickly NATO allies can coordinate precision fires across countries and distance in real time.
Led by 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, the mission focused on HIMARS rapid infiltration, beyond line of sight targeting, and time-on-target strike coordination.
“Thunderbolt Convergence is about proving that U.S. and NATO allies can fight as one fires force on the battlefield,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Erwin, commander of 3-321 FAR.
The exercise opened with simultaneous HIMARS rapid infiltration operations from separate NATO airfields. One U.S. Army M142 HIMARS launcher was airlifted to Bardufoss, Norway, while another landed in Germany. Both teams received targeting data and executed a synchronized fires mission coordinated between the U.S. and Belgian militaries.
The mission in Norway involved targeting information from a Norwegian F-35 fighter jet, a Norwegian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, and Belgian Special Forces Group soldiers. Each played a role in relaying data through joint digital fires systems to U.S. fire direction centers.
“The HIMARS that landed in Bardufoss, Norway received multiple missions utilizing different sensor-to-shooter kill chains involving high frequency and other beyond line of sight communications with the Belgian Special Forces Group, Norway’s Joint Fires Support Element, and U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps fires,” said Erwin.
Prior to execution, U.S. and Belgian communications teams met in Brussels to design the joint fires execution plan. Targeting data from Norwegian air and land units was integrated into the planning architecture and rehearsed ahead of time.
“We met with the Belgian Special Operations Air-Land Integration communications team in Brussels to design the communications architecture,” said Erwin. “We spent another two days prior to execution to ensure we were able to receive targeting data coming from Norwegian Air Force and Land Forces elements, passed across beyond line of sight systems directly into U.S. Army fire direction centers.”
At Ramstein Air Base, U.S. Army HIMARS crews and U.S. Airmen from the 37th Airlift Squadron conducted dry-fire operations at combat tempo. Launchers were loaded onto U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft and deployed within minutes of landing, simulating a strike and reposition under pressure.
“HIMARS rapid infiltration exercises allow us to rapidly strike targets almost anywhere in the world and leave before the enemy knows where the strike came from,” said Erwin.
Belgian forces participated directly in targeting and communications. Norwegian personnel observed HIMARS loading and deployment procedures to build familiarity with future implementation.
“We’re here to observe how the HIMARS is loaded onto the C-130 so we can better apply that ourselves,” said Senior Sgt. Aleksander Bräthen, assigned to the 335th Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. “Working with our partners like this is critical.”
Erwin credited the international partnership with enhancing the overall value of the training.
“The contributions of the Belgian and Norwegian forces dramatically expanded the training value and strategic impact of this exercise,” said Erwin.
Thunderbolt Convergence simulated a real-world combat scenario where success depends on how quickly units can receive a target, fire, and reposition—all while integrating cross-border communications and coordination.
“Everything now comes down to speed. If you’re slow, you’re a target. If you’re fast, you survive,” said Erwin.
Beyond its training value, the exercise sent a message to allies and potential adversaries about the readiness and cohesion of NATO’s joint fires community.
“This exercise shows the real-world deterrence capabilities of the NATO alliance and the combat readiness of our forces,” said Erwin.
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2025 11:37 |
| Story ID: | 493998 |
| Location: | RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 1,219 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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