Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoons, a Voyager, and a team of surface-to-air missile specialists have journeyed to Sweden to participate in a large-scale Arctic exercise.
The exercise, set to span Sweden, Finland, and Norway, brings together an impressive 150 aircraft from 14 nations worldwide.
Named the ‘Arctic Challenge,’ this complex multinational initiative aims to fortify national defences, heighten operational efficacy, and optimise resource allocation. The collaboration also seeks to promote increased cooperation amongst the participating nations.
According to a press release, “The biennial Nordic cooperation exercise is led by Finland with support from Sweden and Norway. This year, the exercise will also deepen the international cooperation with partners in the High North region as part of the UK government’s increased focus on maintaining safety and security in the region.”
Spanning two weeks, the exercise involves forces from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Czech, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and NATO. Six Typhoon jets from 11 Squadron at RAF Coningsby and a Voyager from RAF Brize Norton will operate from Kallax airbase in northern Sweden.
The RAF Voyager, along with a US KC-135 and a Canadian CC150TT, will provide air-to-air refuelling to extend mission duration and range. Meanwhile, NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control Force will fly an E-3A to co-ordinate the exercise from the air.
In an added element of realism, the RAF Spadeadam team has deployed a selection of surface-to-air missile systems to the Swedish training area. This includes an SA6 tracked vehicle and a six-wheeled amphibious vehicle known as an SA8, used to track and target the fighter jets in the scenario.
“The mobile missile systems will provide a simulated adversary ground-based air defence network and provide data on the aircrafts’ ability to detect and target the systems,” stated the press release. Following each flight, pilots will conduct a detailed debrief, reviewing tactical successes and sharing learning experiences.
It’s good to see all these deployments, but i am getting concerned about airframe lifes for the phoons, we only have just over 100 and they are being worked hard, If we lose the Tranch 1’s will be even worse. F-35’s arrivals so slow we cannot equip a full CSG loadout and maintain training/maintenance. god alone knows when Tempest will arrived given the SOP for MOD procurement. need to order 20-30 new Phoons asap me thinks just to be able to maintain current Op tempo.
On any one day only about 55-60 Typhoons are airworthy and available with trained pilots. I worry about the rest with a Defence Command paper due shortly
We already have 30+ F35s and will be getting T4s this year upgradeable to L4 when available and will be getting another 40+ in the next 5 years. F35s are already in “action” doing tasks typhoons used to do and I believe the latest data shows that drones are currently carrying out half of RAF missions. The focus on Typhoons is therefore clearly dated.
Ummm…sorry, need some additional detail or context please, for “getting T4s this year upgradeable to L4 when available…” 🤔
The U.K. purchase rate is very sensible, if commentators would inform themselves;
A USAF General has remarked on the bill and why the F35 numbers have been cut to previous years. He stated that they are waiting on the Block 4 version as they see that as better value for money, i.e. they don’t have to spend additional money updating a Block 3 version. I also think that there is an underlying statement, in that Lockheed Martin need to get their sh*t together” or we will stop ordering large batches of aircraft.
Understand, did not recognize the terms T4 and L4.
Trance 1 Typhoons have plenty of Airframe life left in them so I can’t forsee any issues with Tranches 2&3.
Like the UK to build its own F-35Bs. Any secret projects going on in the back shed besides Tempest? … Lol 😁. Maybe a twin engined F-35B in the works…but can only wish.
So we can expect to see Santa this year after all!
Spadeadam has some impressive assets. Varied Russian SAM systems and radars, EW threat simulators, static targets. Even a mock airfield with aircraft.
I believe you Daniele, and I might have got the wrong end of the stick here, but all this all gets right up my “GBAD” nostrils… a bit.
Morning mate. I know the subject of GBAD is close to your heart. I’d like to see some improvement there too.
Go look at Spadeadam on Google Earth, lots to see.
Hi Daniele, thanks for the redirection. Just had a look. What a place and what a history! Like a huge apocalyptic film set only real!
I’m not falling for this Santa joke again… oh wait it’s real
Excuse the sarcasm, but “surface to air specialist”? Is there even a hint of GBAD in the UK armoury beyond Starstreak/HVM and CAMM somewhere? Hope they’re seriously looking into filling in with some shooting capability in this area and soon.
Wrong way round mate. Some background.
Historically, NATO has always had more tactical and strike aircraft as opposed to interceptors. And for the Warsaw pact it was reversed, they had a lot more AD aircraft and a vast SAM network. They needed it, as NATO and most of all the USAF and SAC had the bomber force that threatened it.
Look in the late 80s at the number of fast jet Strike Sqns in the RAF ( Harrier, Jaguar, Buccaneer, Tornado GR1 ),compared to the number of Tornado F3 Sqns. It is NATO, who would command the skies at night and go on the offensive in the air into Poland and East Germany, the role of the Tornado GR1/GR4s, we had 7 Sqns of them in Germany alone.
Those pilots and crews need to train, to respond to the threats they would come up against, be that EW, SAM, radar, and so on.
That is what RAF Spadeadam is for. It trains our forces, and NATO, against enemy threats.
It is not there as an AD asset for us to use ourselves against the enemy, it trains US against them!!
And so to add, the RAF have specialists who have to operate that equipment out on the range for customers from the Army, RAF, and NATO who will fly against them.
Soviet SAM Systems.
Soviet AA Gun systems.
Soviet Radar.
EW simulators.
Mock targets.
Things like the Iraq wars were a field day as we could get our hands on all sorts of Russian kit to use ourselves.
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