Airforces

58 // JANUARY 2018 #358 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Air Operations Centre in Torrejón

de Ardoz, Spain,” explained

Commander Christophe (full

name withheld on request), the

boss of the air activity cell within

FRMARFOR. “We handled

about 20 sorties per day during

Brilliant Mariner, but we could

easily have managed more than

a hundred. What is unusual in

this exercise is that we tasked

both Red Air and Blue Air assets.

We had to address a twofold

challenge: operationally, to fulfil

all the missions we were asked

to perform, and in terms of

flight safety, by respecting the

strict rules currently in force. In

peacetime, flight safety should

take precedence, with weather

being the determining factor.”

The air assets engaged in the

exercise were varied as a large

number of French and foreign

surface combatants deployed with

rotorcraft on board. The force

included an assortment of French

helicopters (Panthers, Caïmans

and Lynx), as well as the Canadian

CH-124 Sea King, Danish MH-60R

Seahawk, Portuguese Lynx,

and Greek, Spanish and Turkish

S-70B Seahawks. French Army

Gazelles, Tigres and Caïmans

briefly embarked on Mistral for joint

training. A German P-3C and an

Aéronavale Atlantique 2 carried

out maritime patrol missions. An

Armée de l’Air E-3F Sentry, from

Avord, and an Aéronautique

Navale E-2C Hawkeye, from Lann-

Bihoué, took turns to provide early

warning, air-battle management

and fire-control duties.

Contracted air services were

also brought into play, with

Secapem providing aggressor

support with its A-4N Skyhawks,

MB339s and its Cessna 337.

Electronic warfare support was

split between AVdef and Cobham,

both companies utilising Falcon

20s fitted with an array of external

pods. Finally, tanker support

was provided by Istres-based

C-135FR and KC-135R tankers.

Juan Carlos I

The LHD Juan Carlos I was

engaged in Brilliant Mariner

as part of the certification of

the Spanish amphibious force.

This 26,800-tonne large-deck

vessel is equipped with a well-

deck that can accommodate up

to four LCM-1E assault craft.

She was commissioned into

service in September 2010.

For its deployment off Toulon,

the Spanish flagship carried an air

group composed of three SH-3D

Sea Kings from 5ª Escuadrilla

Aeronaves and six EAV-8B+ Harrier

IIs from 9ª Escuadrilla Aeronaves.

These two naval squadrons are

based at Rota, near Cadiz, in the

south of Spain. Juan Carlos I also

carried a tactical amphibious group

composed of 260 marines and

commandos from the Tercio de

Armada (the Spanish naval infantry,

the oldest in the world, founded in

1537) and a range of armoured and

support vehicles, including high-

mobility VAMTAC S3s. Spanish

troops deployed to the Garrigues

training range for field exercises.

Amphibious

assault helicopters

The Sea Kings of 5ª Escuadrilla

Aeronaves specialise in a wide

range of intelligence, amphibious

assault, special forces, logistics,

vertical replenishment (VERTREP),

medical evacuation and search

and rescue (SAR) missions. Since

its Sea Kings have been brought

up to ‘Asalto Anfibio’ (amphibious

Above: One of three SH-3D Sea Kings of 5ª Escuadrilla Aeronaves aboard the

Spanish Navy fl agship in the Mediterranean. Note the prominent FLIR sensor

turret added as part of modifi cations for the amphibious assault mission.

Henri-Pierre Grolleau Below: Air ops under way on ‘Juan Carlos I’ as she sails

off the coast of Toulon. A 9ª Escuadrilla Aeronaves EAV-8B+ conducts a low-

speed fl yby while an SH-3D stands watch. Henri-Pierre Grolleau

Exercise

Report Brilliant Mariner 2017

assault) standard, the squadron

has lost its anti-submarine role

and the out-dated dunking sonar

has been removed. The anti-

submarine mission has been taken

over entirely by 10ª Escuadrilla

Aeronaves SH-60B Seahawks

modernised to Block I Core B

standard, which routinely embark

on F100 Álvaro de Bazán-class air-

defence destroyers and on Oliver

Hazard Perry-class frigates (locally

known as the Santa María class).

Spanish Sea Kings are fitted

with a forward-looking infrared

(FLIR) turret and with fast-roping/

abseiling equipment that allows

them to operate with special forces

commandos. They can be armed

with a 7.62mm calibre Minimi

machine gun for self-defence

or for fire support, for example

during boarding operations.

Brilliant Mariner 2017 proved

to be an excellent opportunity

for NATO naval and air assets

to interact closely. FRMARFOR

had the chance to train in ideal

conditions – together with a

large number of French and

foreign surface combatants –

and demonstrated its robustness

and endurance at sea.

A Spanish Navy SH-3D Sea King
conducts cross-deck drills aboard the
FRMARFOR fl agship ‘Mistral’. NATO

AFM