MIL EXERCISE INVOLVING MULTIPLE HELIS DEVIATES FROM BRIEFED RTE THROUGH CLASS C AIRSPACE CONFLICTING WITH ARRS AND DEPS. TFC CALLS WITH LITTLE OR NO RESPONSES FROM THE HELIS. HELIS OPERATING WITH MINIMUM LIGHTING AND NOT SEEN BY THE TWR.

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THIS EVENT CAME AS A RESULT OF A MIL EXERCISE WITHIN 5 NM (CLASS C SURFACE AREA) RADIUS OF A LEVEL III INTL ARPT. THE MIL HELIS ARE OPERATING OUTSIDE THEIR (BRIEFED) ASSIGNED RTES AND WITH MINIMAL ACFT LIGHTING (ACFT PASSED 1/2 NM W OF TWR AND COULD NOT BE SEEN!). AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME OF NIGHT; SAVANNAH ARPT HAD SEVERAL ARRS TO RWY 3L. THESE HELIS WERE NOT ON THEIR RTES AND IN MOST CASES 'CIRCLING' OVER RPTING POINTS; WHICH CONFLICTED WITH ARRS AND DEPS. TFC CALLS WERE ISSUED; BUT GENERALLY WITH NO RESPONSES. NOT 'ONE' ARR OR DEP SAW A HELI DURING THE TFC EXCHANGE. THESE TYPES OF SITS ARE VERY COMMONPLACE AT SAVANNAH; PROVIDE SVC AT ALL COST AND THE CTLRS WILL BE THE SAFETY NET. WHY IS A MIL EXERCISE BEING ALLOWED IN CLOSE VICINITY OF A BUSY ARPT? WHO ALLOWED THE HELIS TO MAKE UP THEIR OWN RTES AND OPERATE WITH LITTLE OR NO LIGHTS? WHY IS THIS MIL EXERCISE NOT NOTAMED? WHY IS THIS EXERCISE NOT CONTAINED IN R3005 OR R3007? WHY IS HUNTER TWR (LOCATED 85 MI SE OF SAV) NOT OPEN; WHEN MOST OF THESE OPS ORIGINATED OUT OF HUNTER AAF? WHY DID THE ACFT PARTICIPATING IN THE EXERCISE GIVE THE IMPRESSION THEY HAD PRIORITY OVER PEOPLE LNDG AND TAKING OFF?