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SIRIO 2022, THE SPANISH AIR FORCE MAIN COMBAT EXERCISE.

Sirio in the name of the main combat exercise carried out by the Spanish Air and Space Force. It takes place annually, and this year it was held in the Canary Islands, being Gando Air Base the main hub, where most units were deployed.

Participants within Sirio 2022 included more than 2000 people from 21 different units, with more than 30 aircraft, including EF-18M Hornets from 12th and 15th Wing, Eurofighters from 14th and 11th Wing, EF-18A+ from 46th Wing, C-295 from 35th Wing, A400M from 31th Wing and NH90 helicopters from 48th Wing. However Sirio is not just about aircraft and flying, Sirio is about testing and preparing all the capabilities of the Spanish Air Force, including expeditionary capabilities, command and control, communications, Security, Ciber-security, special operations, electronic warfare, etc.

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Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) Flying Course 22-3

Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) Flying Course 22-3 has being held at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete through the last two weeks of September. Participating aircraft are Eurofighter from Spanish Air Force, F-35A Lightning II and F-15E Strike Eagle from United states Air Force 48th Fighter Wing, F/A-18 Super Hornet from United States Navy CVW-7, deployed to Albacete from Aircraft Carrier USS George Bush, F-16AM Fighting Falcon from Belgian Air Component & Royal Danish Air Force. An AWACS E-3F Sentry and a MQ-9 Reaper from Armee de’lAir also took part operating directly from France. The main goal of the TLP courses is the advenced training in tactical leadership and planning for fighter pilots and aerial controlers during complex composite air operations (COMAO) where a large number of fighter and support assets take part.

Photos: Sarai Barreto and Edilia Luis.

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F/A-18 SUPER HORNET, TOP GUN’s MAVERICK FIGHTER JET.

At last in 2022 Top Gun Maverick reached the cinemas around the world and we could see how a F/A-18 at the hands of Maverick was able to do any kind of amazing things. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a carrier based multirole fighter jet and is the backbone of the US Navy strike fighter force. The following videos and photos show the capabilities of this fighter jet.

Photos: Edilia Luis

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F-22 RAPTOR AIR DOMINANCE FIGHTER

The F-22 Raptor is the 5th generation air dominance fighter of the United States Air Force. Its main mission is owning the skies over the enemy with precision strike and ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) as secondary missions. The F-22 entered service with the USAF in 2004, and is still the world best air superiority fighter thanks to be stealth (hard the be detected by radar), to its supercruising capabilities (able to reach supersonic speeds without using the afterburner), to its advanced passive and active sensors, to its supermaneuverability (it has thrust vectoring engines) and to the fact that it has been upgraded through the years.

Photos: Edilia Luis

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OCEAN SKY 2021 AIR COMBAT EXERCISE

Ocean Sky 2021 (OS21) air combat exercise was held at Gando Air Base in the Canary Island from October 19th till October the 29th. OS21 is the biggest international air combat exercise organized by Spanish Air Force Air Combat Command (MACOM), and is one of the biggest of its class in Europe. OS21 is part of the advanced training of the Spanish Air Force Fighter pilots and air combat controllers. During OS21 both pilots and air combat controllers have to face complex scenarios with dissimilar aircraft from Spain and other NATO nations.

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PREVIEW OCEAN SKY 2021

Gando Air Base in the Canary Island will held Ocean Sky 2021 (OS21), an air combat exercise organized each year by the Spanish Air Force. OS21 begins in October 19th and will last till October the 29th. OS21 is the biggest international air combat exercise organized by Spanish Air Force Air Combat Command (MACOM) and is part of the advanced training of the Spanish Air Force Fighter pilots and air combat controllers. During OS21 both pilots and air combat controllers have to face complex scenarios with dissimilar aircraft from Spain and other NATO nations.

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French Air Force Dassault Rafale.

Rafale

The multirole fighter Dassault Rafale form the backbone of the French Air Force (Armee de l’Air) fighting force. In this update of the web, we include a series of videos about this fighter in its one seat (Rafale C) and two seats (Rafale B) versions, covering desert operations, Air to air refuelling, air show displays and much more. The pictures of this feature where taken by Edilia Luis in 2011 and 2012 during the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).

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Best F/A-18C Hornet Solo Displays.

F/A-18

The F/A-18C Hornet (or Legacy Hornet) is a multirole fighter which has an extreme maneuverability with high angles of attack (AOA). When it is flown to its aerodynamic limits, it seems like a trust vectoring fighter. Two air forces show the full potencial of the Hornet during its airshow displays, the Swiss and the Finnish. The following photos and videos are about the Finnish Air Force and Swiss Air Force F/A-18C Hornet solo displays.

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20 YEARS OF SPANISH AIR FORCE EF-18 HORNETS IN THE CANARY ISLANDS.

Ala_46

In January 2001 the first EF-18A Hornet of Spanish Air Force 46th Fighter Wind landed at Gando Air Base (Canary Islands). During the following 20 years, the EF-18 Hornets have accomplished their mission, protecting the Canary Islands of any threat. Here we present photos and videos of the EF-18 Hornet from 462rd Fighter Squadron “Halcones” in action.

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OCEAN SKY 2020

OCEAN SKY 2020 AIR COMBAT EXERCISE

Gando air base in the Canaries, was home during October of one of the biggest air combat exercises in Europe, Ocean Sky 2020 (OS 20). Ocean Sky is organized and coordinated by Spanish Air Force Air Combat Commad, and its main goal is advanced training of fighter pilots and fighter controlers from national and international participants.

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