FIVE hundred Army troops prepared for combat in Afghanistan with a month-long training exercise on Salisbury Plain.

But they were not alone – up to 100 staff from RAF Benson offered vital support for Exercise Pashtun Jaguar, which finished on Sunday.

The exercise provides a realistic training environment so that air and land forces can work together to prepare for combat in Afghanistan.

As well as working with their comrades from the Army, to prepare for the threats they will face from the Taliban, staff from the helicopter base worked behind the scenes to make sure the exercise ran smoothly.

Squadron Leader James Thorley said RAF Benson’s Real Life Support Team was at Salisbury Plain for the whole exercise.

He said: “Real Life Support provided 55,887 meals, 70 canvas tents, and 3,500 litres of hot water per day, together with other logistics required to house 500 personnel for one month on a field.

“This feat was not made easy by the diversity of the English weather, which plummeted to -11C in the first week and then soared to 14C two weeks later!”

Cpl Dawn Danby, a steward at RAF Benson’s officers’ mess, added: “Although not all of us are as cool as Puma helicopter pilots, we were all important to the running of this site.”

The training exercise for helicopter pilots and troops included role-play exercises in a number of different scenarios to help the troops’ preparation before they are deployed to Afghanistan in Operation Herrick 16, from next month.

RAF Benson Puma pilots are also preparing to provide security cover for the 2012 Olympics.