Major Milestone For Typhoon Squadron

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The RAF Typhoon programme has reached another milestone with the largest overseas deployment of UK Typhoons and the first full overseas deployment for its first frontline operational squadron.

There are now just five weeks to go before RAF Typhoons take up the Quick Reaction Alert role, where they become responsible for protecting southern UK airspace from possible terrorist attack.

In order to make sure they are fully prepared seven aircraft and 120 personnel from 3(F) Squadron, normally based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, deployed to the Moron Air Force Base in southern Spain to participate in Exercise Lone Eider, a week long exercise aimed at conducting air defence tactics and collective training with personnel from the Spanish Air Force.

"This is the first time any of the Typhoon nations have actually integrated together and worked at this level to really develop the plans and tactics for how we use Typhoon day to day," explained Detachment Commander Sqn Ldr Jez Attridge.

"The fascinating thing about this particular deployment is that we are doing this at three different levels. Firstly the operational level with the Spanish pilots, secondly the supply level to make sure that we get the right equipment here and we can utilise the Spanish supply system, but also at the engineering level so we have the chance in three key areas to find out how to do business and better learn from each other."

Throughout the duration of the exercise, aircrew experienced both one-on-one dogfights with Spanish typhoons as well as more complicated missions with Spanish F18's playing the opposing 'red force'.

The Squadron also flew alongside the Spanish Air Force in support of Exercise Tapon 07, an air and maritime exercise designed to train staff and maritime units in the conduct of crisis response operations. The focus was on co-operation with naval forces in the Gibraltar Strait, Gulf of Cadiz and Alboran Sea.

Being such a high profile first for the Typhoon programme, there was intense pressure to see if the detailed plans to deploy and logistically support the detachment succeeded:

"It's gone very well," added Sqn Ldr Attridge, "if you think that the aeroplane has only really been on 3 Squadron for a year and in that year we have gone from having an aeroplane and just starting rudimentary flying with it, to now 12 months later deploying seven Typhoons all the way down in southern Spain, is just a tremendous leap."

The exercise was preceded by a visit by the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy to the Moron base where he was able to meet his Spanish counterpart, General Rancisco Jose Garcia De La Vega and witness at first hand how the two Typhoon partner nations are introducing the aircraft into service and training for future operations.

Summing up the importance of exercises with Typhoon partners such as the Spanish, RAF Coningsby Station Commander Group Captain Stu Atha said:

"We need to understand each other. We share the same language and we share the same vocabulary as pilots so it's actually very easy as military to military to sit here to train together. When it comes to going on operations, it makes it so much easier when the guy you are flying with is the guy you trained with."

Gp Capt Atha's comments were echoed by his counterpart at the Moron base, Colonel Leon Machés:

"We have the same intentions, we have designed the aircraft together, we have discussed it together, now we want to fly in combat together."

http://www.modoracle.com/news/detail.h2f?id=13361