Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoons, whilst conducting the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission in Estonia, have displayed a commendable performance during the largest annual Swedish Defence Exercise, Exercise Aurora.

The week-long exercise, a profound display of allied military prowess, involved a broad spectrum of ground, sea, and air assets.

The exercise involved over 26,000 allied personnel from an array of nations including Sweden, the United Kingdom, Finland, Poland, Portugal, and the United States.

Deployed from IX (Bomber) Squadron, the RAF Typhoons played a crucial role in providing air-to-air combat training for the Swedish Air Force. These manoeuvres were conducted over Sweden’s largest island, Gotland. In a scenario referred to as ‘red air’, the Typhoons carried out the role of aggressors that the Swedish Saab Gripen fighters had to face.

This simulated adversity provided invaluable experience for the Swedish forces, testing their Quick Reaction Alert procedures in responding swiftly to airborne threats.

Complementary support for the Typhoons came from a Voyager based out of RAF Brize Norton, providing essential air-to-air refuelling. In addition, the British Army’s 1 Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, and HMS Albion played their parts in the exercise, showing a comprehensive integrated effort from the United Kingdom’s military forces.

You can read more on this here.

Tom Dunlop
Tom Dunlop
Tom has spent the last 13 years working in the defence industry, specifically military and commercial shipbuilding. His work has taken him around Europe and the Far East, he is currently based in Scotland.

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24 COMMENTS

  1. I really hope we get our act together over the next few years and start moving older tranche 1 typhoons into some sort of reserve unit.

    Once we start procuring Tempest in the 2030’s we will have well over 100 typhoons with years of active service on then left.

    Juts keeping them even in storage could give us a substantial war fighting capability and get us back above 200 or even 300 combat aircraft.

    • The issue is the change of mentality and Treasury rules on assets kept.

      Then the next problem is funding storage and basic maintenance to keep them flyable.

      Without those two things reserve fleets are a pipe dream.

      Ok it is a pipe dream that Ukraine has taught us us highly relevant.

      • Im not too sure of that – post Ukraine there has been a report ( NAO from memory ) of the increasingly long lead times and cost of producing high end Military Equipment if the UK found itself at War,the suggestion was to keep the T1’s in climate controlled storage ready to be reactivated at reasonable notice,no expensive upgrades etc,just to have some reserve capacity just in case.

    • Agreed. When Tempest is in service, Tranche 2 should be shipped off to Arizona. 40 Tranche 3 should remain in service for 2 squadrons considering all of them are only 4-9 years old.

      • Even if Tempest meets the 2035 in service date it’ll probably have a 15 year production run so I think it safe to say Tranche 3 will be around to 2050

        • Yes but just as with the tranche 1 today the airframes will have years left on them and the aircraft will be still very useful especially with its radar.

      • Reserve fleets just drain funds from the frontline. Unless you have a defence budget like the US with the Air National Guard. Then reserve fleet’s have little benefit.

        • Our front line would be gone very quickly in a conventional war and it might take up to a decade to procure more planes.

          So what’s the answer?

          We have spent too much time since the 90’s looking at the front line, logistics and reserves are just as important.

    • Pilots are expensive to train and scarce. They are in demand from airlines when they reach retirement. We don’t have a US style ANG to provide pilots for any reserve.

      • The pilots are already trained, copying the US ANG having an organisation where pilots can leave RAF service to fly commercial but still keep flying typhoons in a part time role gets past this, I would imagine it’s going to be quite a popular choice with pilots. Even UK airlines can be roped in much the same way we take up trade from the merchant navy .

        • It’s a nice idea Jim, but hugely expensive. And how many do we keep flying to be effective. Its just not feasible with our defence spending. Even if we increased the budget to 3%. Logistics, basing, Maintenance, aircraft upgrades, engineers, ground support. The money is better spent in preventing wars start in the first place.

    • Weren’t they looking into upgrading the T1s to T3 standard as a bit of a gap filler prior to Tempest?

      • BAE stated it had never been asked to look at this, the service chiefs invented upgrades costs from their own minds.

    • Being red air sucks. Rules of engagement and degraded capability to simulate a SU27 or something similar means you have to fly with one hand tide behind your back. The training value is for the blue air component.

        • Typhoon every day. Gripen is very capable. But aimed at the lower, more affordable end of the fighter market. Only the F35 and F22 are superior to the Typhoon, especially in BVR engagements.

          • Many reasons Alex. But mainly the F35’s all aspect stealth. It also has a very capable AESA radar, and unmatched situational awareness. He who sees first, shoots first, kills first. And AMRAAM is still a very capable medium range missile.

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