Exercise Joint Warrior 2010

[tarbat]

Some interesting aircraft to look out for starting next week, for a couple of weeks.

Exercise JOINT WARRIOR 2010, Serial 2 (JW 102) is a UK wide, tri-service exercise conducted in the Spring and the Autumn of each year; it is assessed that JW is the largest exercise in Europe. The second of 2010’s JW Exercises (JW 102) will take place between 4 – 15 Oct 2010.

There will be in the region of 35 aircraft, Support and Attack helicopters from all three UK services augmented by visiting NATO and Allied Air Forces. UK participation includes Tornado GR4, VC10 and Tristar AAR, E3D and Hawk. Allied and visiting air participants, including F15Cs from RAF Lakenheath, up to 12 Swedish Air Force Gripen multirole aircraft deployed to RAF Lossiemouth, NATO E3A and P3 Maritime Patrol Aircraft from Germany and Norway based at RAF Kinloss. It is planned to fly approximately 65 combat and support missions per day on day and night sorties throughout the period. Limited night and weekend flying will be undertaken from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Kinloss.

Full details at http://www.raf.mod.uk/crowales/exerciseops/jointwarrior2010.cfm

And according to scramble, we can expect to see:

Kinloss, UK
1x P-3C GN MFG3 
1x E-3A NATO NAEW&CF 
+ Nimrod MR4 RAF  
1x P-3C RNoAF 333Skv 

Lossiemouth, UK
+ Apache AH1 AAC 4Rgt AH 
+ Hawk T1. RAF  
1x Nimrod R1 RAF 51sq 
+ Puma HC1 RAF 33sq 
1x Sentry AEW1 RAF 8/23sq 
+ Tornado GR4 RAF  
1x Tristar KC1 RAF  
14x JAS39C RSwedAF  
+ F-15C USAF 48FW 'LN' 

[tarbat]

Great action on the range tonight.  DRAGON35 and DRAGON36, a pair of Swedish Gripens doing strafing runs against enemy firing points, under the control of ground-based forward controllers.  Calling for sparkle, and then the pilot keeps on illuminating the wrong house!!

Quite a spectacle.  Not ModeS fitted unfortunately :(

[orkney]

Hello

Unfortunately so far quiet up here.  We were on holiday down that way last week-wish it was this one and might have seen some action then.  We did see N1757 at Inverness though.

Andrew