The largest air exercise in NATO history with Greek participation in German airspace started today. Today, two of the three F-16 fighters of the 347 Squadron from Anchialos, which are participating in the exercise after the intervention of General Konstantinos Floros, as the "friendly" Germans and NATO allies had "forgotten" to invite Greece, while they had even invited Japan and Turkey, will carry out their first missions.
The three Greek F-16s are stationed at Lechfeld Air Base in Bavaria along with a unit of US A-10 fighters.
It is worth mentioning that in 2003 the 347M's firepower was significantly increased with the delivery of new Laser Bombs and Maverick smart weapons.
In December 2005, the squadron was successfully evaluated during the 111PM's NATO IPF (In Place Forces) assessment, achieving an excellent rating.
Today, 347M's dynamic presence in the sensitive Aegean Sea along with the other interceptor squadrons, combined with its ability to operate in a bombing role by day, but especially by night with the modern weapon systems carried by its aircraft, make it stand out and its personnel feel proud to serve in it.
From 12 to 24 June, up to 10,000 exercise participants from 25 countries with 250 aircraft will train in the exercise which aims to exercise control, coordination and leadership in air operations in European airspace, the German Air Force and of course NATO air forces.
Only 100 of these aircraft come from 35 US States and were sent to Europe. They are part of the US National Guard Air Force.
Air Defender 23 is a demanding air operations training scenario for allied air forces. The goal is to optimize and expand cooperation among the participating nations while demonstrating alliance strength. The scenario is modelled after a NATO Article 5 assistance scenario.
The participating States are now as follows: Belgium, Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, and Greece.
Aircraft from the participating countries will fly in three German airspaces in the north, east and south, with each capable of supporting complex air operations. The German Air Force is participating in the exercise with 64 aircraft: 30 Eurofighters, 16 Tornadoes, five A400Ms and three A330 AARs for refuelling, as well as two LJ35s, two A-4s and four 145 Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs) in rotation.
