Aviation News – June 2018

RED FLAG

Spanish Typhoons have participated in many

exercises, including a deployment to the

US for a Red Flag in March 2017. Spanish

aircraft involved were eight Typhoons from

the 11th and 14th Wings and two KC-130

Hercules from 31st Wing. Two Italian Boeing

KC-767 tankers supported the deployment,

each looking after four Typhoons.

At total of 229 personnel from the

Spanish Air Force participated in the

deployment, 37 of them pilots, all with

the NATO Combat Ready 3 (CR.3)

quali cation.

During the exercise, 157 sorties were

made, accumulating a total of 274.39  ight

hours in the process. The missions were a

mix of air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes –

48 GBU-16 bombs were dropped during the

latter, using the Litening III pod. Operational

availability throughout the exercise did not

fall below 94%. The detachment was led

by Colonel Manuel Ojeda, from Combat Air

Command (MACOM).

Colonel Ojeda said after the deployment:

“Our pilots demonstrated they could

accomplish the allocated air-to-air mission,

keeping the assigned area free of Red Air

threat.”

22 Aviation News incorporating Jets June 2018

Above: Typhoons leaving Morón at the start

of their journey to Nellis AFB to take part in

Red Flag.

Left: A Russian Sukhoi Su-34 intercepted

by Spanish Typhoons during an Amber

detachment scramble in 2015. Spanish Air Force

This photo: A pair of Typhoons from the 11th Wing.

20-24_spanish_typhoonsDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 22 02/05/2018 10:56