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OCEAN SKY 2023.

Ocean Sky (OS) exercise is the biggest international air combat exercise organized by the Spanish Air Force and one of the few of this kind that took place in Europe, mainly because it is entirely focused on air to air missions. OS is hold each two years at Gando Air Base in the Canary Islands. Fighters taking part in this year edition included EF-18 Hornets from 12th, 15th and 46th Combat Wings, Eurofighters EF-2000 from 11th and 14th Combat Wings of the Spanish Air and Space Force, F-16Cs from both Hellenic Air Force and Turkish Air Force and F-16AM from the Portuguese Air Force.

Photos by Edilia Luis:

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TACTICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME FLYING COURSE 2023-4

The Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) Flying Course 2023-4 (FC 23-4) took place during the second half of November at Albacete Air Base, Spain. The main goal of the TLP courses is the advanced training in tactical leadership and planning for fighter pilots and aerial controllers during complex composite air operations (COMAO) where a large number of fighter and support assets take part. Participants in this course included Eurofighters from Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, Mirage 2000 from Greece, Rafale M from French Navy, EF-18 Hornet from Spain, L-159 ALCA from Czech Republic, Alpha Jet from France, and F-16C from Poland.

Photos by Edilia Luis:

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ROYAL INTERNATIONAL AIR TATTOO 2023

Last summer we got the chance to attend the Royal International Air Tattoo, the biggest military air show in the world with hundreds of aircraft both in the static and dynamic displays. One of the main focus of this year edition was in aerial refuelling and we got the chance to see a good number of tankers flying aerial refuelling demos, including A400M with two Tornados from the German Air Force, an A330 MRTT from the Royal Air Force with a Swedish Gripen and a Finnish Hornet and a MC-130J with a MV-22 Osprey. This year we also saw for the first time the new E version of the Saab Gripen in flight which was one of the hihglights and a replica of the first jet fighter that entered in operational service, the Mesersmith Me-262. Another highlights were the “Dream Viper” Demo from the Belgian Air Force, the Finnish Hornet solo display, the French Rafale Solo Display and of course the Spanish Navy AV-8B Harrier, which flew with the Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning II. In the static display there were some classic fighter from the cold war, and Hellenic Air Force F-4E Phantom II and a Polish Air Force Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter. As always, RIAT was a not to be missed air show, in spite of the British weather, which brought showers during the week of the show.

The photos are from Edilia Luis and the videos are just an example of what you can see in the playlist we have made from RIAT 2023:

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Videos:

 

10 YEARS WITHOUT MIRAGE F-1 IN SPAIN

The Dassault Mirage F-1 was the backbone of the Spanish Air Force fighter force during a good number of years, flying in three different fighter wings at Manises, Gando and Los Llanos. However 14th Fighter Wing at Los Llanos in Albacete, was the first and last unit flying the french made fighter over Spain, retiring its remaining Mirages in the summer of 2013 to be sold to an American private company which is using them nowadays as adversary support for different military braches of the United States. The pictures and videos that can be seen in this web were taken in 2010 and 2011, when the 14th Fighter Wing 141 & 142 Fighter squadrons were still flying the F-1M at full swing.

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SIRIO 2022, THE SPANISH AIR FORCE MAIN COMBAT EXERCISE.

Sirio in the name of the main combat exercise carried out by the Spanish Air and Space Force. It takes place annually, and this year it was held in the Canary Islands, being Gando Air Base the main hub, where most units were deployed.

Participants within Sirio 2022 included more than 2000 people from 21 different units, with more than 30 aircraft, including EF-18M Hornets from 12th and 15th Wing, Eurofighters from 14th and 11th Wing, EF-18A+ from 46th Wing, C-295 from 35th Wing, A400M from 31th Wing and NH90 helicopters from 48th Wing. However Sirio is not just about aircraft and flying, Sirio is about testing and preparing all the capabilities of the Spanish Air Force, including expeditionary capabilities, command and control, communications, Security, Ciber-security, special operations, electronic warfare, etc.

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Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) Flying Course 22-3

Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) Flying Course 22-3 has being held at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete through the last two weeks of September. Participating aircraft are Eurofighter from Spanish Air Force, F-35A Lightning II and F-15E Strike Eagle from United states Air Force 48th Fighter Wing, F/A-18 Super Hornet from United States Navy CVW-7, deployed to Albacete from Aircraft Carrier USS George Bush, F-16AM Fighting Falcon from Belgian Air Component & Royal Danish Air Force. An AWACS E-3F Sentry and a MQ-9 Reaper from Armee de’lAir also took part operating directly from France. The main goal of the TLP courses is the advenced training in tactical leadership and planning for fighter pilots and aerial controlers during complex composite air operations (COMAO) where a large number of fighter and support assets take part.

Photos: Sarai Barreto and Edilia Luis.

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F/A-18 SUPER HORNET, TOP GUN’s MAVERICK FIGHTER JET.

At last in 2022 Top Gun Maverick reached the cinemas around the world and we could see how a F/A-18 at the hands of Maverick was able to do any kind of amazing things. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a carrier based multirole fighter jet and is the backbone of the US Navy strike fighter force. The following videos and photos show the capabilities of this fighter jet.

Photos: Edilia Luis

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F-22 RAPTOR AIR DOMINANCE FIGHTER

The F-22 Raptor is the 5th generation air dominance fighter of the United States Air Force. Its main mission is owning the skies over the enemy with precision strike and ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) as secondary missions. The F-22 entered service with the USAF in 2004, and is still the world best air superiority fighter thanks to be stealth (hard the be detected by radar), to its supercruising capabilities (able to reach supersonic speeds without using the afterburner), to its advanced passive and active sensors, to its supermaneuverability (it has thrust vectoring engines) and to the fact that it has been upgraded through the years.

Photos: Edilia Luis

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F-22 & F-35 FLYING TOGETHER

The 5th Generations fighter F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II are the tip of the spear of the United States Air Force. Here we hace the chance of seeing both fighters flying together.

Photos by: Edilia Luis

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TACTICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME, FASTER, FURTHER, TOGETHER.

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Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) Official Promotional Video. TLP is like US NAVY’s Top Gun school. The video represents a day in the life of the TLP during one of its flying courses and how important it is for the security and stability of their member countries in the times of uncertainty. The main goal of the TLP courses is the advanced training in tactical leadership and planning for fighter pilots and aerial controlers during complex composite air operations (COMAO) where a large number of fighter and support assets take part. For more info about the TLP visit its official website: https://www.tlp-info.org/