Royal Air Force and French Navy Pilots Proving Joint Warriors

Exercise Joint Warrior  

18 April 201

Royal Air Force and French Navy Pilots Proving Joint Warriors

RAF Leuchars is playing a significant part in supporting the largest tactically focused military exercise in Europe which started this week. Exercise Joint Warrior is conducted in the spring and autumn of each year and provides high quality training for all three UK Armed Services as well as numerous visiting units from allied nations.

Typhoon aircraft of Number 6 Squadron based at RAF Leuchars along with a small detachment of Hawk aircraft of Number 100 Squadron from RAF Leeming are flying sorties from Leuchars in support of the Exercise.
RAF Leuchars is also hosting a detachment of the French Navy Carrier Air Group consisting of Rafale, Super Etendard and E2C Hawkeye aircraft. This deployment further builds on the heightened Defence cooperation between the UK and France.

These aircraft are part of a mixed multi-nation air contingent that will focus on operational training for aircrews including, long range attack missions involving Air to Air refuelling support, Close Air Support in support of troops on the ground, Maritime Attack and support missions.
Officer Commanding 6 Squadron, Wing Commander Mike Baulkwill, said of Joint Warrior:
“It is a very important exercise for the Royal Air Force as it enables us to train for all sorts of contingency operations that we might meet in the future in this dangerous world. The Exercise allows us to work closely alongside our colleagues from the Royal Navy and British Army along with units from our partner nations.”
6 Squadron’s Typhoons have been flying sorties in 2-ship and 4-ship formations as well as joining with the 100 Squadron Hawks, and Tornado GR4s from RAF Lossiemouth and the French Navy assets to fly Combined Air Operations. As Wg Cdr Baulkwill explains:
“The missions on Joint Warrior range from Close Air Support, protecting troops on the ground, right through to Defensive Counter Air where we are defending airspace or defending points of interest such as Naval assets. We are operating Typhoon as a multi-role aircraft just as the French are with Rafale. We touch on every skill during the exercise and my pilots are expected to perform in all disciplines of air power.”
“Joint Warrior brings together our pilots and our engineers with their French equivalents who have a slightly different way of operating, so we can learn lessons from them and likewise they can learn lessons from us. It is about making sure that when we go and do this for real we can get it right first time.”

Joint Warrior began on Monday, April 15, and is being co-ordinated from HM Naval Base Clyde. Planned by a joint team of Royal Navy and RAF personnel, who form the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS), they are augmented by up to 150 members of the military, many of whom are reservists, at the Clyde site.

As well as the UK and France, the participating Nations are the US, Canada, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Italy and Brazil. All in all there will be 60 separate naval units involved operating at points around the coast of Scotland. There is also significant land participation at Defence Training Estate ranges, commercial ranges, Highland Agency and private land areas around the country.

The giant exercise will see a broad range of military skills practiced. The scenario simulates a number of current and potential future operations and involves multiple sovereign nations, disputed territory, asymmetric threats, terrorist activity as well as piracy.

Developing over the two weeks of the Exercise, the scenario will see a period of increasing tension and uncertainty before evolving into simulated operations and state on state hostilities. Planning for the exercise has been extensive with JTEPS staff visiting communities and stakeholders affected to ensure that any environmental impact is minimised.


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