Israeli multinational mil jet exercise "Blue FLAG 2013"

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/ ... 357127042/

World News

Israeli air force to conduct large drill

Published: Jan. 2, 2013 at 6:44 AM
JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- More than 100 fighter jets from different countries will participate in an air force drill in Israel for the first time, Israeli air force officials said.

Fighter jets from a number of foreign militaries are to arrive in Israel in the coming months to take part in the exercise dubbed "Blue Plug/EDIT: blue FLAG," Israel's Channel 2 television reported Tuesday. The countries participating in the drill remain classified.

During the exercise, described as the largest air exercise to be conducted in Israel,
fighter jets will conduct air battles and attacks,
conduct low altitude flights and drop ammunition.

"We do not rely on other armies but I believe, if we require cooperation,
the exercise can only aid us in creating a common language with the rest of the world," an Israeli air force major,
who is deputy head of the Red Squadron who will imitate the air force of neighboring Arab countries during the exercise, told the television station.

In recent years Israeli air force squadrons have taken part in exercises in Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece, as well as the Middle East and Balkan skies, the report said.

"Dozens of planes from different country will fly here ... it will be one of the most qualitative exercises for air forces in the world,"
said another Israeli officer who is one of the supervisors of the exercise.

[Stratofreighter]

Have just been advised that this exercise is called Blue FLAG !

Something apparently got mixed up in translation.

[Stratofreighter]

Related to the above.

http://www.iaf.org.il/4391-40244-en/IAF.aspx

Extensive Exercise for Combat Formation Release date 02.01.2013

For the first time in years, combat formations of the IAF will compete against one another during the Israeli version of the "Red Flag" training competition in preparation for international cooperation.

Every year, hundreds of American combat pilots take off to participate in the "Red flag" exercise which focuses on aerial combat fighting with all aerial formations of the U.S armed forces. Dozens of aircrafts fill the desert sky of Nevada in order to complete a row of aerial combat fights filled with adrenaline, attacks and training with advanced combat systems.

This week, over 10,000 kilometers away, a "blue flag-red flag" exercise began in the IAF.

Combat formations from all around the country arrived at the southern Ovda base and took off to a unique exercise for the first time in years.

Throughout the week, they will compete with each other in different aerial scenarios and practice possible scenarios.

In each of the aerial demonstrations, "blue" combat airplanes representing the IAF will compete against "red" combat airplanes representing the enemy.

In fact, the exercise held today is solid preparation for a large, international exercise which will be conducted in Israel during the year of 2013- "Blue Flag'.

Captain Guy, from the enemy simulation formation "Flying Tiger", is responsible for the training.
"There haven't been any exercises this large in Israel, and many aerial forces from all around the world will be present.
Our goal is to prove that the Israeli practice field is large enough to contain and train these aircrafts".

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... se-383446/

Israel prepares to host Blue Flag combat exercise

3 hours ago


Israel is preparing to host its largest ever multinational air exercise towards the end of 2013,
with "a great number of air forces" having expressed their intention to take part in the Blue Flag manoeuvres. The activity will be led by the Israeli air force's Flying Dragon adversary squadron.

The high level of foreign interest in the air exercise had been expected, says the official in charge of organising the event.

"These air forces hope to learn from the vast combat experience of the Israeli air force, which performs all sorts of combat missions almost on a daily basis," Maj Golan told the service's magazine.

In addition to numerous nations sending aircraft to take part, others will be involved by sending observers. "They will follow the exercise, and this will help them decide whether to participate in similar ones in the coming years," he says.

Preliminary meetings to prepare for the exercise are scheduled to be held during the coming months.

The manoeuvres will be staged from Uvda air base, with a large area of southern Israel to be closed to other air traffic to allow the large number of participating combat aircraft to fly according to designed scenarios.

[Starman]

Dates are now known for the exercise, with fast jet activity planned for 18-29 November at Ovda AFB.

Along with a number of local players (assorted F-15 And F-16 models and units) visitors will be
AMI Tornados and AMXs
Greek & Polish F-16s
USAF F-15s (believed to be LNs)

Anyone wishing to apply for press accreditation should e.mail the IDF Spokesman at europeandesk@idfspokesperson.com - when they fail to reply drop me a PM and I´ll see what I can do!

[Tintin]

http://defense-update.com/20131104_five ... rcise.html

U.S., Greek, Polish and Italian fighter jets are planned to deploy to Ovda Israel Air Force Base this month, to participate in the Israel Air Force’s ‘Blue Flag’ air warfare exercise over the southern Negev Desert. Over 100 aircraft and about a thousand air and ground crews are expected to participate. Israeli sources have not confirmed the specific nations taking part in the exercise but foreign sources have indicated these are likely to include Greece, Poland, Italy, the US and Israel (1, 2).

Each of these air forces have already trained separately with the IAF, and some were also deployed here for training, but the ‘Blue Flag’ will be the first opportunity for the IAF to conduct a multinational exercise of this scale, since Israel was excluded from the NATO ‘Anatolian Eagle’ exercise as a result from the deteriorating relations between Turkey and Israel in recent years. Foreign air forces have been flying the Eager Tiger and Eager Lion exercises in Jordan for several years but for the Israelis, the ‘Blue Flag’ is a first of a kind opportunity.

The exercise will employ the IAF Aggressor squadron based at Ovda, and scores of ground based targets and air defense assets positioned throughout the southern Negev, simulating a modern threat environment. While the aggressor role is similar to that of the US “Top Gun” school and ‘Red Flag’ exercises, the aggressor role is tasked on different squadrons every 24 months, thus keeping pilots combat ready and proficient in the IAF combat missions. The squadron flies F-16A Block 15 Falcons, in service with the IAF since 1980.

The exercise simulates realistic engagement with situations from asymmetric warfare engaging low-signature targets to full fledged ‘symmetric’ opponent, where opposing air forces required to operate in denied access environment, penetrating heavy air defenses and aerial threats. The aggressor squadron has been trained in simulating various opposing air forces tactics, particularly Arab aerial tactics, to train other squadrons.

The IAF conducted a ‘grand rehearsal’ in January 2013, deploying five squadrons to the southern base, simulating a surge in missions and operational tempo conducted over several days. For the actual exercise the visiting air forces will deploy to Ovda on November 13, for orientation and preparation, with the exercise itself staged between 17 and 28 November.

[Starman]

8 x LN F-15s confirmed (ETA 12th Nov) plus 4 x HAF F-16s (3Cs and a D from 340 sdqn) no final ETA yet, but see

http://www.parapolitika.gr/parapolitika ... F%83%CE%B7

Also, a lot of AMI support traffic due in Ovda 12/13Nov. It´s Polish Independence Day on 11th Nov so maybe they´ll come after that.

[Avia2l]

Patch of the exercise by Kentorama

[Starman]

From the IAF Website

Preparing for the "Blue Flag" Exercise Release date 05.11.2013

This week (so, until today), Israeli squadrons will take part in preparatory workshop in anticipation of the "Blue Flag" training session, which will be held this month on the Ouvda airbase. Over the next four days, they will practice takeoffs and maneuvers only in English so that they can be as ready as possible for the large-scale international exercise that will be underway in the coming weeks. (Obviously didn't extend to the text of this article)

In a numbers of months, the "Blue Flag" exercise will be underway at the southern airbase in Ouvda, in which other air forces from around the globe will participate. A moment before the opening shot, the Israeli squadrons that are participating in a preparatory workshop in which they will spend four full days practicing taking off and maneuvering in order to arrive at the impending international exercise as ready as possible.

The "Edge of the Spear" and the "Knights of Twin Tail" squadrons from the Tel Nof airbase, the "Knights of the North" and the "First Jet" squadrons from the Ramat David airbase, the "Knights of the Orange Tail" squadron from the Hatzarim airbase, and the "One" and "Bat" squadrons from the Ramon airbase will all take part in exercise. The "Flying Dragon" squadron, which will host the international exercise at its home base, will also simulate the "red forces"- the enemy forces. Unlike the "Blue Flag" exercise, the workshop will entail each squadron training at its home base and not being deployed to the southern airbase in Ouvda.


"Advanced training at a very high level"
In addition to the scenarios that will be practiced during the workshop, the Israeli aerial teams will train for a flight conducted entirely in English, as required in the international exercise. "The 'Blue Flag' is an advanced exercise at a very high level and we have to fly in English, which is something we aren't used to", explains First Lieutenant Omri, who is responsible for the workshop from the "Knights of the Orange Tai" squadron. "This preparatory workshop is being held so that we'll be at the highest level possible for the exercise itself".

The "Blue Flag" exercise is an international exercise that is being held for the first time in Israel. Over several intense weeks, Israeli, American Italian, and Greek combat jets will share the skies in southern Israeli in a large scale exercise. Also participating in the exercise will be observers from additional countries, who will examine future participation in the coming years. Earlier this year, preparations were made for a big exercise, like the workshop for the "Blue Flag" in which IAF squadrons took part and simulated together a large-scale exercise.

[Avia2l]

HAF announcement translated with Google.

The Air Force, by accepting the invitation of the Israeli Air Force plans to participate in the Israeli multinational exercise "Blue Flag 2013", from Wednesday 13 to Friday, November 29, 2013, with four (4) aircraft F-16 Block 52 + of 340 Squadron.

The exercise is scheduled to take place in Airbase OVDA, in southeastern Israel, involving aircraft from the U.S. Air Force and Italy.

http://www.haf.gr/el/news.asp?id=8240

There is no mention on PoLAF participation both in HAF & IAF announcements, did they drew back ?

[Stratofreighter]

No updates so far since http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... se-392969/ last week

http://newsru.co.il/israel/18nov2013/ouvda_a202.html
as translated into
http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... _a202.html
does not really give any "new" information...

[Stefan]

No updates so far since http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... se-392969/ last week

http://newsru.co.il/israel/18nov2013/ouvda_a202.html
as translated into
http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... _a202.html
does not really give any "new" information...

So, your news is that you could'nt find any news?

[Rockville]

I came across this article: http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-envoy-c ... air-drill/

[Starman]

You really want news? The Poles failed to show I suppose no news would have been better than bad news!

[Avia2l]

http://youtu.be/4OU_4521lYI