Eight countries are taking part in the exercise.
Organisation, coordination and most of the activities will take place at Vredepeel barracks, the Netherlands, say NATO.
In a synthetic scenario, the exercise will show that NATO Member States at all levels – from tactical to strategic – are able and willing to effectively collaborate to defend themselves from all possible threats from the air.
According to NATO in a news release here:
“From March 8 to 26, dozens of military units and staffs conduct the combined missile and air defence exercises ‘Joint Project Optic Windmill 2021 and Steadfast Armour 2021 (JPOW/STAR21) across fifteen locations in Europe and the United States. At Allied Air Command, Ramstein, Germany, experts from AIRCOM Headquarters, Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem, NATO Ballistic Missile Defence Operations Centre and the Competence Centre Surface-Based Air and Missile Defence contribute to the coordination, synchronisation and deconfliction of Allied efforts during JPOW/STAR21.”
A new element this year is the combination with the biennial NATO exercise ‘STAR21’ for the Alliance’s strategic level, which is motivated by the form and level of quality offered in JPOW. The exercise allows the tactical level and the highest strategic level to train together.
“With concept development and experimentation elements Joint Project Optic Windmill offers a platform for the Alliance to test and evaluate partnerships, modes of action and new systems in a simulated environment.”
With a focus on procedural work, the exercise is conducted as a combination of deployed units in the field and simulation phases.
For more information about the exercise please check a NATO video here.
Lots happening in this field, which is the smart way to go on a limited and shrinking budget! “The US Air Force (USAF) is preparing for the first booster test flight (BTF-1) of the USAF/Lockheed Martin AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) to take place within 30 days, the service announced on 5 March. Immediate work has begun on pre-flight ground tests and checks to obtain certification for the flight to proceed as scheduled. The ARRW test missile was delivered to Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California on 1 March and was loaded on a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress heavy… Read more »
And this was equally interesting!
“The United Kingdom has placed its first order for the Lockheed Martin AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) weapon system developed for the US military.”
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/uk-signs-up-for-jagm-missile
Why are we buying something that is almost the same length and weight as Brimstone with it seems a shorter range?
Integration Costs maybe ?.
Possibly the early integration on the F35B?
Brimstone/Spear requires Block 4 software to operate which will not be available until 2027 so, the JAGM will fill the gap until then I assume?
Yeah i don’t see the point, and 8km is very short.
Its a Hellfire follow on, so for use in AH-64E and Protector?