Frisian Flag 11-22 April 2016

[Tweetie01]

Next year the exercise will once more take place from the 11th of April to 22nd of April, therefore you can already plan your days off for next year

[maurits]

Air Force rotations to Europe will continue in 2016

The number of airmen rotating through Europe in 2016 should be “pretty much a carbon copy of this year,” but that doesn’t mean the same type of aircraft will return to the continent next year, said the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

For example, it is not yet clear if any F-22s will be available to rotate through Europe in 2016, Gen. Frank Gorenc told Air Force Times in a Wednesday interview. In late August, four F-22s deployed to Europe for the first time, arriving in Germany before moving on to Poland and, ultimately, Estonia.

“For me, it was very important to introduce the F-22 to see how we could fly it in the airspace and how we could support it,” Gorenc said. "Depending on their availability, we may or may not be lucky enough to get an F-22 [rotation], but, certainly, I’m working really hard to make next year a copy of this year with respect to that.”

Amid rising tensions with Russia, the Air Force deployed 12 A-10s to Europe in February as part of the service’s first theater-security package to the continent. TSPs are generally six-month rotations. The second TSP rotation involved F-15s.

“We used that theater-security package to fulfill training requirements with as many of our allies as possible, particularly in light of OAR [Operation Atlantic Resolve] and the assurance that we were trying to do,” Gorenc said.

Gorenc said he expects a total of 12 F-15s from the California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing and the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing to rotate through Europe in early 2016 as part of a theater-security package, but it has not yet been determined which countries they will deploy to.

“The F-15 TSP that came in here [in 2015] was pretty much all over the continent, providing training opportunities and receiving some very good training,” he said.

The U.S. increased rotations through Europe after Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine in February 2014 and then invaded eastern Ukraine. This year, the fighting has died down as Russia has turned its attention to Syria.

Still, the underlying tension with Russia has not been resolved, so Gorenc feels he has a “strong argument” for requesting airmen and aircraft to rotate through Europe.

“I can clearly describe the cause and effect and the ability of air to contribute to the assurance that we’re doing,” he said.

Russia has layered its sophisticated surface-to-air missiles in Crimea and its Kaliningrad enclave between Poland and Lithuania, Gorenc said. While these air defenses are not impenetrable, it would be a “significant achievement” to neutralize them, he said.

Rotating U.S. aircraft through Europe is meant more to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to NATO allies than to deter Russia, Gorenc said.

“I don’t know if it’s deterring Russia or not, but I do know that it’s assuring our partners,” Gorenc said. “The fact that we bring U.S. aircraft — albeit in a rotational mode — over and exercise in the robust way that we are, that’s very reassuring to our allies. I see that and I hear that and our allies are grateful for it.”

Maybe we can expect some US ANG F-15s again at Frisian Flag?!

[SquAdmin]

http://forum.scramble.nl/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=119926

Likely, yes

[SquAdmin]

According to the FAF exercise schedule (http://forum.scramble.nl/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=120414) FF would take place in week 16 and 17, with 8 M2000's participating.

I think these dates are a bit odd since we'll also have King's Day in week 17

[Frenkie]

LINK

[Banter]

According to this http://www.aco.nato.int/schedule the exercise looks to be well attended.....and note the dates.

EX FRISIAN FLAG LIVEX
National (NLD) exercise, linked to Ramstein Guard-5
Practice multinational mixed fighter operations against realistic airborne, ground and naval based threats to enhance tactics development and validation. Full scale integration of Link-16 with airborne, ground and sea based assets. Establish and maintain multinational relationships between NATO and non-NATO countries.
Fighter Aircrews and Aircrafts from NOR, SWE, FIN, DNK, DEU, NLD, USA, GBR, FRA, BEL,ESP, PRT, IT
11-22 Apr
Leewarden AB, NLD

[SquAdmin]

Which sounds much more likely and in line with the dates of the 2015 edition. Someone tell the French they should arrive one week earlier in order to play with the rest?

[ehusmann]

I rather suspect the French to use a different definition for the week numbers. The standard is ISO-8601, which makes the current week number 1. This leaves out the first few days though (1,2,3 January are in the last week of 2015). The French may be using a different definition making the current week number 2. Not sure, but have seen this issue before when dealing with the French in business....

Erwin

[BirdieBarty]

Do you guys think there will be any F16´s from Spangdahlem at Leeuwarden?
As this is my first year to the Frysian Flag. I read it will be pretty crowdy. So what are good spots where you can see take/off and where it's not too crowdy?

[Sipke]

Do you guys think there will be any F16´s from Spangdahlem at Leeuwarden?
As this is my first year to the Frysian Flag. I read it will be pretty crowdy. So what are good spots where you can see take/off and where it's not too crowdy?

I don't see a big change to get the Spang vipers at EHLW. If they participate, they will do it from Spangdahlem itself.
Yes, every year more people is comming to FrisianFlag, for a good spot where it isn't too crowdy, you should walk through the villages (it depands which runway is in use) and find your own. But if runway 05 is in use, you will have enough space to photograph alongside the spottershill (but read the "rules" first! We local spotters don't like others beetween the landinglights or other places where you should not stand!) And if runway 23 is in use, you can stand alongside the road, at the old railroad or somwhere inside Jelsum. I hope you will have a great time at EHLW!

Kind regards! Sipke

[SquAdmin]

I don't see a big change to get the Spang vipers at EHLW. If they participate, they will do it from Spangdahlem itself.

In that case, the French could just as well stay at home but they don't. Using a single airbase for exercises like this is of great value, because it enables all crews to be together during mission planning, debriefing, etc.

Anyway, if it turns out that those ANG F-15's are gonna take part in FF16, there's little chance that Spang F-16's will be there as well.

[Sipke]

I don't see a big change to get the Spang vipers at EHLW. If they participate, they will do it from Spangdahlem itself.

In that case, the French could just as well stay at home but they don't. Using a single airbase for exercises like this is of great value, because it enables all crews to be together during mission planning, debriefing, etc.

Anyway, if it turns out that those ANG F-15's are gonna take part in FF16, there's little chance that Spang F-16's will be there as well.

Last year there was aslo a group of 12 ANG eagles (FLorida and Oregon ANG) and the SP Vipers didn't flew from Leeuwarden. And Spangdahlem is a close airbase to the exercise, the French airbases aren't that close. So there isn't a big change to see them here.

[j.m.]

The Eagles are on the List but need to be confirmed. Confirmed are only RNlAF F-16 and FAF Mirage.
http://www.luchtvaartnoordnederland.nl/ ... flag-2016/

[Sipke]

The Eagles are on the List but need to be confirmed. Confirmed are only RNlAF F-16 and FAF Mirage.
http://www.luchtvaartnoordnederland.nl/ ... flag-2016/

That isn't an official confirmation. I know the webmaster of that site, and he knows the same as us, maybe ANG Eagles, Maybe RAAF hornets etc. For the eagles is a big change, becasue they are in Europe at the time and FrisianFlag is one of big exercises in the world. We all just have to wait for an official message from the RNLAF

[Oscar01]

Spang vipers will not participate at FF.

Oz