By Pierre Kosmidis

ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΣΤΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΕΔΩ

Marathon is famous worldwide from the Battle thas was fought in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by warriors from the city of Plataea and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes.

The battle was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Greece. The Greek army decisively defeated the more numerous Persians, marking a turning point in the Greco-Persian Wars.

Today, the Hellenic Navy Helicopter Command at Kotroni Air base in Marathon, is home to the “Aegean Hawks”, 11 Sikorsky S-70 and 8 AB-212 helicopters, which perform multiple operational roles.

The flying machines, however, cannot operate without their “soul”, which is no other than the crews and ground staff who care for the smallest detail, so that they are ready to perform their mission anytime.

See a photo gallery from opearations at the helicopter base, including the helo dunker facilities used to train crews on surviving if a helicopter is ditched at sea due to any reason.