Ocean Sky refers to an international air combat exercise held every two years by the Spanish Air and Space Force at Gando Air Base, and which is the successor to the legendary DACT exercises that used to take place annually at this air base. The 2025 edition was the one that brought together the largest number of participating countries and aircraft, with the base’s ramp reaching the limit of its capacity at the busiest moments of the exercise.
Among the participants, the four Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters of the Indian Air Force undoubtedly stood out for their exotic and unusual nature. Not only because India was the first non-NATO country to take part, but also because it operated modern fighters of Russian design equipped with thrust-vectoring engines. Also noteworthy were the fourteen F-15E Strike Eagle fighters from the 48th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force, marking the first time this version of the iconic F-15 took part in the exercise. The German Air Force deployed five Eurofighter Typhoons from the “Bavarian Tigers,” including one painted in this year’s NATO TIGER MEET special livery, which took place in Portugal. The other two international participants were more familiar from previous editions: the Portuguese Air Force with its F-16AMs and the Hellenic Air Force with F-16Cs.
As expected, the Spanish Air and Space Force deployed fighters from all of its combat units, including six Eurofighters from Wing 14, three Eurofighters from Wing 11, five EF-18AMs from Wing 12, and three EF-18AMs from Wing 15. The “Halcones” of the 462nd Fighter Squadron of Wing 46 took part every day, demonstrating the capability of this fighter unit despite being in the middle of its transition to the Eurofighter, whose first aircraft will arrive in the Canary Islands in July 2026.
Wing 46 was also responsible for providing SAR coverage for the exercise with its CN-235 VIGMA maritime patrol aircraft and its Super Puma helicopters.
The two main reasons why this exercise is held at Gando Air Base are the favorable weather conditions and the vast airspace available south of the archipelago, which allow supersonic flight from sea level up to more than 12,000 meters in altitude. These two factors make this exercise one of the best in Europe. In addition, it is one of the few exercises in the world dedicated 100% to air combat, allowing for very specialized training in this field.
As in previous editions, Ocean Sky coincided with the EART (European Air Refuelling Training) held at the Lanzarote military aerodrome. EART is an exercise in which tanker aircraft from several NATO countries carry out training missions with allied fighters, practicing processes and procedures that are difficult to implement in other scenarios, such as formation air-to-air refuelling. EART is fully integrated into the Ocean Sky exercise, with both benefiting from the opportunity to train together. Deployed at Lanzarote Air Base were an A330 MRTT from the French Air Force, a KC-767 from the Italian Air Force, a NATO A330 MRTT, and an A400M from Wing 31 of the Spanish Air and Space Force.
During Ocean Sky 2025, two flying periods were conducted each day: the morning “main mission,” in which up to 40 fighters flew a single mission supported by tanker aircraft, and the afternoon “shadow missions,” which consisted of several smaller-scale missions, some of which even allowed within-visual-range air combat training. The shadow missions could include the participation of around 30 fighters supported by tanker aircraft.
Ocean Sky 2025 was a success in terms of both the number of participants and the lessons learned. The exercise trained expeditionary operations to a distant air base and the ability to sustain a high number of sorties over time, including complex scenarios that required exhaustive planning and lengthy briefing and debriefing processes to maximize the value of each mission. Interoperability with allied air forces and the opportunity to conduct dissimilar air combat engagements with weapon systems of very different capabilities undoubtedly contributed to OS25 being remembered as one of the best air combat exercises ever held at Gando Air Base.
Photos by Brigada Antonio J. Jiménez Santana. Ala 46 from the Spanish Air and Space Force
