Ovda AFB (LLOV) 2021

[Starman]

Arriving as we speak (14Z) GAF A400 showing as GAF676/54+08. Bit early for Blue Flag (starts mid-October) "can we have our Fougas back" perhaps (old Dutch joke, sort of)

[Key]

[Starman]

As predicted a number of former Ramat David based F-16C Block 30s have arrived at Ovda for storage/disposal.
21 aircraft were logged last month (westerly row, NNE-SSW):
333/all 117Sqn unless noted (this one amongst the As & Bs), 388/110, 376/110, 373/115, 324, 329 no tail, 363/115, 321, 386, 389, 340, 391, 345, 384 & 318 all missing their wings having been trucked down. Then a large "gap" before some that flew in; 332, 367, 317, 329, 326 & 337 (all ex-117 Sqn)

[Starman]

Blue Flag support arrivals began today with French Phenix 043, the below behemoth (obv if 54+09 was in one piece it could've done the mission with its eyes closed, Herby, please get them to fix it "gap-filler" ) and an Italian C-130J which is taking forever to get here.

a big plane by Starman, on Flickr

I should perhaps have mentioned that the UR82009 is in support of the Lw Tiffs - check out the pix of 31+37 on-line!!

[Bennie]

11.10 visitor: FAF4072 from Istres. ADS-B: F-UJCH (A330).

[Starman]

Before I decamp to the south for some "Indian summer" fun, maybe one or two of you would like to know what's been happening in the work-up to Blue Flag. Obv the big news, so far, is a very beautiful C-17A, a different one this evening would have been nice, but here is what I've noted to date (E/b & W/b refer to OTT Tel Aviv, all times local, so Z+3)

BLUE FLAG 21 movements

11 Oct 21

GAF987 A400M 54+34 3E8396 E/b 13.28
FAF4072 A330 F-UJCH E/b to LLOV 14.00 "plus" as it was at 270 all the way
BRTK29 C-17A 03 E/b 15.13 - to Ovda - lost sight of it?
IAM1413 B767 MM62229 E/b 17.40
RCH289 C-17A 88203 (again!!) E/b 18.30

10 Oct 21

RRR9611-3 Typhoons ZK372, 331, 369,
RRR9252 ZZ330 E/b 15.00 out 15.30/11th from ETM
RRR9254 ZZ333 E/b 16.30 - back 15.00/11th - with & RRR9614 & 6 ZK356 & 366

08 Oct 21

ADB5958/558F UR82027 off LLOV c11.30 W/b from/to Chateauroux?

07 Oct 21

ADB3948 UR82009 (again) E/b 11.50 this time from Italy

RCH916 C-17A 88203 AE2FAF E/b 17.00 from/to ETAD

06 Oct 21

RCH779 C-17A 99205 E/b 16.00 into LLOV out 18.30
IAM4667 MM62181 as before E/b 17.00 back 19.00

05 Oct 21

AMI4665 C-130J to LLOV MM62181 out 18.30
Adel'A4071 A330 043 to LLOV in 15.00 out 18.00
ADB589F UR82009 An-124 to LLOV 16.00 from Leipzig

03 Oct 21

IAM4662 C-130J MM62181 33FFEF E/b into LLBG 17.15
GAF900 A400M 54+18 3F4D0C E/b into LLBG 17.10 - possibly not Blue Flag related

01 Oct 21

RRR6714 C-17A ZZ176 into LLBG 19.23

[Le Addeur noir]

Wednesday 13th October,

At 02:30Z Indian AF 81 Sqn C-17A CB-8005 (according to ADS-B) calling 6R21 is making it's way here through Saudi Arabian airspace.

[Starman]

It ended up this evening in Ben Gurion with 6S21 CB-8008 & IL-78 RK-3453.

[Starman]

A short update on the preparations for Blue Flag 21

Noted so far are USAF/SP F-16C, Lw/Tlg31 EF2000, Adel'A/EC01/2.004 Rafale B, RAF/12(B)sqn Typhoon, IAF M2000, AMI F-35, HAF - these three not eyeballed yet leaving one or two empty shelter areas at Ovda for "other" particpants.

14th Oct 21

RRR4021 A400M ZM415 into LLOV, out 15th 14.00
RCH296 C-17A 88203 Spang-OV & vv again

13th Oct 21

HKY655 C-130J 15-5831 to LLOV 09.40 out 12.00

Visible on base were 6 x 106 sqn F-15s by the old civil terminal incl 810 & 552 (C) plus 706, 957 & 980 (D) with G550 MM62293, 8 x 115 sqn F-16C (very hazy but incl 307, 348 & 355 & 9 assorted F-16I incl 417/119sqn, 445/253sqn, 871 & 890/201sqn, 877 & 898/107sqn.
Active were some RAF Typhoons plus Adel'A Rafales 4HT/(323), 4FF/(339), 4FS/352 plus one, each appeared to have a different tail badge!
Six IAF F-35s flew a mission around 14.30 including 935/140sqn
IFC6R21 CB-8005 C-17A into LLOV 15.00 recovered to LLBG c20.00
IFC6S21 CB-8008 C-17A into LLOV recovered to LLBG c22.00
RCH295 C-17A 99205 AE2FAF into LLOV 18.00

-- RK3453 IL-78 IAF Hex 8002EA into LLBG 20.00 after dropping trade, reported as six Mirage 2000s.
The three Indian transports departed LLBG Friday morning 15th.

12th Oct 21

RCH297 C-17A 88203 (again) to LLOV c21.00
IAM4671 C-130J MM62181 another old friend to LLOV out 20.00
HAF356E C-130H 741 4682E5 into/out of LLOV supporting as yet unidentified HAF fighters
RCH558 C-17A 66163 OTT TLV c10.00
IAM1430 B767 MM--- reportedly bringing six Italian F-35s

Shortly after lunch five EF.2000GS of TaktLwG31 landed, 30+97, 31+34, 31+37 (special marks), 31+38 plus two seat 31+26 (badge not noted - and at least one more Lw Typhoon landed on 14th Oct as I reported under Norvenich, 31+32 for sure).
These were followed by six 480FS F-16Cs "SP" 90-0813, 90-0829, 91-0352, 91-0360, 91-0403 & 91-0416

[AK01]

nice report, to add, HAF should be 5 or 6 F-16C block52's from Araxos AFAIK.

[Starman]

Continuing "our" coverage of Blue Flag and related movements, Ben Gurion Airport received the head of the Luftwaffe on 16th October in Global 14+07, whilst 14+05 arrived very late on 18th following his participation in the historic flypast in specially marked Eurofighter 31+37. 14+04 also visited LLBG on the 19th (+06 is welcome any time).
Meanwhile back in the south, HAF356E E/b over TLV 20.20 on 18th Oct tracking as 4682EB which would make it C-130H 747, appeared to go to Eilat-Ramon airport (the message may have been "Γρήγορα Ζορμπά, δεν υπάρχει ουζάκι στην πραγματικότητα" or it could have been for some F-16 parts (Use Google translate, note Ovda translates as "fact" in English). But I digress.
Pictures on the interweb suggest the following additional participants:
EC01.004: Rafale B 4-IE/330
HAF 336 Mira: F-16C 008, 018, 020 & 022 - shame they don't use Indian painters
IAF 40Wg (1sq?): Mirage 2000 KT201, KT202, KT210, KT211 & KT213
RJAF 2 Sqn: F-16BM/AM 236, 246, 248, 249
AMI 32 Stormo 13 Gruppo: F-35A 32-06/MM7363, 09/7359, 11/7361, 12/7362 & 15/7364 perhaps plus one more
An extra TlG31 Typhoon is 31+32
Extra Israeli participants; 115 "red" sqn F-16C 304, 309, 350, 355, 356, 378 & 381 106 sqn F-15C 560 & 575 F-15D 701, 715 & 970, 253 sqn F-16I 440, plus 448 from 119 & 122 sqn G550s 537 & 569
Eleven F-35A (Adir) were noted on the media day: 116 sqn 902, 907 & 928 plus 140 sqn 911, 916, 917, 926, 927, 935, 937 & 941

[Bennie]

28.10 visitor: FAF4073 from Istres. ADS-B: F-UJCJ.

[Starman]

The exercise finished on Thursday 28th Oct after a week of double daily missions by all nine nations, the following is a short review of some of the "clean-up crews" (from the usual tracking sites, times relate to OTT Tel Aviv unless otherwise stated):-

28 Oct
IFC6U21 C-17A CB-8008 E/b 16.00 into LLBG
IFC6T21 C-17A CB-8005 E/b 15.00 into LLBG
FAF4073 F-UJCJ A330 044 into LLOV pm out 13.45/29th

29 Oct

HAF356E C-130H 751 ex-LLOV 09.30
IFC6U21 C-17A CB-8008 LLBG-LLOV 09.30
MMF27 A332 T-056 480C42 up from Pathos for Lw drag
FAF4073 + 4 x Rafales, trailing! W/b 14.30

01 Nov

IFC6T21 & 6U C-17As CB-8005 & 08 left Ovda early - no sign of the IL-78:-(

02 Nov

AMI1443 KC767 MM62227 W/b ex LLOV 10.40
AMI4668 C-130J MM62178 E/b 16.30 - to Ovda & back

03 Nov

RCH489 C-17A 88203 (again!!) to LLOV 11.15, out 15.00

04 Nov

IAM4664 C-130J MM62195 33FFE1 E/b 16.15, back
RRR6708 C-17A ZZ172 E/b 18.30 to LLOV

That'll do, see you all in 2023!

Erm, not quite everything

09 Nov
Chrome 21 C-130J 13-5784 LLOV-Jordan 10.00 - obv nothing at all to do with Blue Flag as the four ex-Klu F-16s present weren't officially there
RK-3451 IL78 off Israeli coast 11.15, was not aware of other IAF assets in the area so taking the Mirages home after a few days in Egypt