Anglo-German air force training ends
RAF Lossiemouth pilots' first ever operational training exercise with a German Eurofighter detachment has come to an end.
Both air forces regularly carry out NATO Air Policing missions and train together, but the two-week exercise in Lithuania as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission is the first time training has been conducted in an operational setting.
The German Eurofighter detachment was embedded within an operational RAF Expeditionary Air Wing. A repeat exercise, with the roles reversed, will take place in September in Amari, Estonia, and will see RAF Typhoons embedded with a German Air Force detachment.
Pilots from RAF Lossiemouth-based 6 Sqn RAF flew with pilots from the German Tactical Fighter Wing 71 Richthofen in an intensive package of sorties, with one German and one RAF aircraft flying as pairs to practice intercepts and basic fighter manoeuvres.
The pilots moved on to include "scramble starts" and Quick Reaction Alert take-offs. Further practice intercepts were conducted against one of the other 6 Sqn Typhoons which acted as the target aircraft.
Wing Commander Stu Gwinnutt, commander of 135 Expeditionary Air Wing, said: "It’s been an interesting and rewarding exercise working closely with our Luftwaffe colleagues while deployed to Lithuania.
"I think it’s fair to say that we’ve learned a lot from each other on a professional basis and made new friends as part of a combined UK-German team."
German commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Andy Beckmann said: "It is always very interesting to take part in a multinational mission or exercise.
"Besides the great hospitality and support of our Lithuanian friends, the biggest memories are the strong team spirit which has been developed between us over the past two weeks and the high motivation each RAF and Luftwaffe soldier showed to build up trust and made things work."
