RoadRunner401
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Italy, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey came together at the recent 'Anatolian Eagle' exercise for joint training related to the needs of their ongoing real-world combat operations.
The exercise, which took place at Konya Air Base in southwest Turkey from 24 May to 9 June, saw the Turkish Air Force (TuAF) deploy nearly 40 Lockheed Martin F-16s, including the latest Block 50 aircraft and eight McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantoms. The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana: AMI) contributed six Panavia Tornado IDS platforms; the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) six F-16AM/BMs; and the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) eight Tornado IDSs.
All of the participant nations are involved in real-world combat operations - the TuAF against Kurdish PKK separatists; the PAF against militants in its Federally Administered Tribal Areas; Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels in Yemen; and Italy against the Islamic State in the Middle East.
As noted by TuAF exercise commander Lieutenant Colonel Ilker Kurt, the focus of this year's event was "dynamic and time-sensitive targeting, as well as the usual close-air support [CAS] missions. We tailor-made the scenarios to ensure they met the objectives of the participant's requirements. It is not the first time we have done dynamic targeting, but this time we made it a special focus".
Lt Col Kurt, an F-16 pilot, explained a particular exercise scenario. "An F-16 equipped with a Sniper [advanced targeting pod] would record the mission unfolding on the ground and then datalink it to the command and control centre [at Konya], while at the same time a terrorist leader in a car, plotting an attack, was being tracked," he said.
While most of the aircraft were flying in multirole missions, the AMI and RSAF Tornados flew suppression of enemy air defences and CAS sorties in particular. The AMI, which is flying intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions out of Kuwait in support of the international Operation 'Inherent Resolve' against the Islamic State, also brought a Joint Terminal Attack Controller, as did the Turkish marines and TuAF.
http://www.janes.com/article/61318/...-skills-at-anatolian-eagle-exercise-in-turkey
The exercise, which took place at Konya Air Base in southwest Turkey from 24 May to 9 June, saw the Turkish Air Force (TuAF) deploy nearly 40 Lockheed Martin F-16s, including the latest Block 50 aircraft and eight McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantoms. The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana: AMI) contributed six Panavia Tornado IDS platforms; the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) six F-16AM/BMs; and the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) eight Tornado IDSs.
All of the participant nations are involved in real-world combat operations - the TuAF against Kurdish PKK separatists; the PAF against militants in its Federally Administered Tribal Areas; Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels in Yemen; and Italy against the Islamic State in the Middle East.
As noted by TuAF exercise commander Lieutenant Colonel Ilker Kurt, the focus of this year's event was "dynamic and time-sensitive targeting, as well as the usual close-air support [CAS] missions. We tailor-made the scenarios to ensure they met the objectives of the participant's requirements. It is not the first time we have done dynamic targeting, but this time we made it a special focus".
Lt Col Kurt, an F-16 pilot, explained a particular exercise scenario. "An F-16 equipped with a Sniper [advanced targeting pod] would record the mission unfolding on the ground and then datalink it to the command and control centre [at Konya], while at the same time a terrorist leader in a car, plotting an attack, was being tracked," he said.
While most of the aircraft were flying in multirole missions, the AMI and RSAF Tornados flew suppression of enemy air defences and CAS sorties in particular. The AMI, which is flying intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions out of Kuwait in support of the international Operation 'Inherent Resolve' against the Islamic State, also brought a Joint Terminal Attack Controller, as did the Turkish marines and TuAF.
http://www.janes.com/article/61318/...-skills-at-anatolian-eagle-exercise-in-turkey
