Brilliant Arrow 2017
Exercise Brilliant Arrow 2017 (BRAW17), conducted from 11 to 24 September 2017 in northern Germany, was the Luftwaffe’s largest exercise this year. The aim was to obtain NATO Response Force (NRF) certification for 2018 from the Joint Force Air Component Command, based in Kalkar in Germany. The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly, wherever needed. In addition to its operational role, the NRF provides a vehicle to demonstrate operational readiness and act as a “testbed” for Alliance transformation. It can be used in the implementation of NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative (CFI) as a vehicle for greater cooperation in education and training, increased exercises and better use of technology.
Brilliant Arrow is designed to train NATO air forces who do not routinely train together to share their experience and skills in combined air operations. It prepares the participating units and HQ AIRCOM to assume standby from 2018, ready to react in defence of the NATO region and its interests.
Exercise activities were supported by AWACS aircraft flying out of the NATO Air Base in Geilenkirchen, Germany, an Airbus A-310 MRTT tanker aircraft taking off from Cologne with target simulation aircraft and forces from Hohn, Nordholz and Nordhorn. Moreover, the 26th Surface-to-Air Missile Group in Husum and 3rd Tactical Air Command and Control Group in Holzdorf/Schönwalde with their deployable Control and reporting Centre provided key support to successful training during the exercise.
Wittmund AB
- Luftwaffe from Wittmund AB with Taktischen Luftwaffengeschwader 71 ‘Richthofen’, using four Eurofighter Typhoons
- Polish Air Force from the 31st Tactical Air Base Poznań–Krzesiny with 6 Squadron, a total of 72 persons, with 10 pilots and five F-16s
- Greek Air Force from Souda Bay AB with 340th Squadron of the 115 Combat Wing, a total of 42 persons, with 12 pilots and four F-16s
- Discovery Air Defence provided adversary air assets, with two A-4s as ‘red air’
Laage AB
· Turkish Air Force with two F-16s
Hohn AB
· Two C-160 from Lufttransportgeschwader 63 (Air Transport Wing 63)
Norvenich AB
· German Air Force Taktischen Luftwaffengeschwader 31 ‘Boelcke,’ with four Eurofighters
· German Air Force Taktischen Luftwaffengeschwader 74 from Neuburg AB, with four Eurofighters
Cologne
· German Air Force Airbus A310 MRTT tanker
Geilenkirchen AB
· NATO E-3 AWACS
The exercise started a few days late owing to bad weather on the scheduled arrival date of 11 September. The foreign participants arrived the following day, with 22 fighters in total, flying from Wittmund, Norvenich and Laage on a daily basis. With support aircraft, that number reached 30 aircraft flying daily during the morning missions. Afternoon missions were smaller, with fewer aircraft airborne.
Geographic
extent of the exercise
BRAW17
missions were planned at Joint Force Air Component Command in Kalkar, from
where the taskings were sent to the participating airbases and units. These
orders were interpreted into action by the pilots, with various scenarios sent
out from JFAC Kalkar, such as entering an enemy country to perform air
operations (Offensive Air) or defending own territory (Defensive Air),
including both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Briefings before and
after the missions, with feedback to JFAC in Kalkar using encrypted videocalls
were conducted, while JFAC Kalkar also monitored active flights to keep up with
their progress during the exercise itself.
Polish Air
Force Major ‘STOIWKY’ (identified only by callsign) said, “Any time you fly
with a different nation, you learn something. We are here to support them (the
German Air Force), but we also learn from them. We train more and more and
more, because if the real thing happens, there is no more time to train!”
For the
German Eurofighters flying from Norvenich AB, air-to-air refueling was
involved, while the aircraft already operating from northern Germany (Wittmund
and Laage) did not require refueling. To limit the noise affecting neighboring
villages, the missions all took place over the North Sea, unless the wave
height was above safety limits, in which case missions moved back above land.
Polish
pilots hve trained in large exercises like the NATO Tiger Meet, Brilliant Arrow
and Frisian Flag. They have already received their NRF accreditation in May
2017 and will be available for NRF 2017 and 2018. Greek pilots were attending
to gain NRF accreditation in 2018. The foreign participants and German
squadrons participated to help JFAC Kalkar to obtain their NRF accreditation
and they, in turn learn from every exercise.
Text
and photos: Alex van Noije and by Joris van Boven