AirForces Monthly – June 2018

he Tactical Leadership

Programme (TLP)

began multinational

flying training operations

at Fürstenfeldbruck, West

Germany, in 1978, and

moved to Jever, in the same

country, a year later. Back

then, few could have foreseen

how Europe’s military aviation

scene would change in the following

decades. However, TLP has always reflected

political and military upheavals, adapting

from the scenarios of the Cold War to

21st-century counter-insurgency conflicts.

At the beginning, TLP courses consisted

mainly of aircrew drawn from the Second

and Fourth Allied Tactical Air Forces (2 and 4

ATAF) in Central and Western Europe and

including Canadian Forces Europe. In

1993, 2 and 4 ATAF were disbanded and

TLP began to see growing participation

from NATO air arms in southern Europe.

In 1989 TLP had moved from Jever to a

more central position at Florennes,

Belgium. At its new home, TLP

became the only large-scale

multinational air exercise to

take place regularly from a

single European air base.

Over the years, the focus of the

exercise shifted – for example,

night flying in unrestricted airspace

became more important. Night-time

restrictions and limited airspace meant

this kind of training was not always

possible at Florennes, requiring

deployed flying

courses at other

airfields.

40 YEARS OF

T

Flying and non-flying courses are now hosted

at Albacete-Los Llanos, after TLP moved to the

Spanish air base in July 2009. At Albacete,

every exercise can feature night

flying in unrestricted airspace,

and the base’s southern

location ensures good

weather conditions

throughout the

year.

scene would change in the following

decades. However, TLP has always reflected

more central position at Florennes,

Belgium. At its new home, TLP

became the only large-scale

multinational air exercise to

exercise shifted – for example,

night flying in unrestricted airspace

became more important. Night-time

restrictions and limited airspace meant

this kind of training was not always

Right: In a scene typical of TLP at Albacete,

Italian Air Force F-2000A MM7325 ‘36-44’

of 36° Stormo leads out a Sniper-equipped

Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16AM. The

jets were taking part in TLP 2018-1 – the fi rst

course this year. Stephan de Bruijn

Tactical Leadership Programme

80 // JUNE 2018 #363 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com