Eurofighters from the ‘Paznic’ detachment lead a multinational training mission with Allied countries In Romania

• Spanish, Greek, Romanian, Turkish and US aircrafts train together to ensure the security of NATO airspace on the eastern flank

Four Eurofighters from the Tactical Air Detachment 'Paznic', based at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania, conducted an air-to-air combat mission alongside F-16s from the Romanian, Greek and Turkish air forces.

The Spanish A400M, which was incorporated into the detachment for in-flight refuelling, has also taken part in this exercise, along with two other KC-135 tankers, one from the US and one from Türkiye, and an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). This is a joint training exercise aimed at improving the security of Allied airspace.

The exercise consisted of a pre-mission in-flight refuelling to increase the range and endurance of the Spanish fighters. This was followed by a mission in which the A400 played the role of a High Value Airborne Asset (HVAA) to simulate the dropping of payloads at a specific point in a simulated enemy area. Meanwhile, the detachment's Eurofighters with Greek F-16s provided HVAA protection against four Romanian and two Turkish F-16s in a simulated Beyond Visual Range (BVR) engagement.

Having completed the main mission, the Eurofighters refuelled again and proceeded to conduct a joint mission with a French Air Defence Unit, the MAMBA detachment.

It should be noted that this mission was fully planned by one of the pilots of the 'Paznic' detachment. This demonstrates the ability of our servicemen to coordinate complex missions on an international scale with the highest level of execution.

These exercises require a high degree of integration between the various Allied nations in the eastern part of NATO. Consequently, they also act as a deterrent to potential incursions into Allied airspace and demonstrate the readiness of NATO aircraft.

Operation NATO IAMD-Persistent Effort

The Spanish contingent, based at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base (Romania), is part of the NATO IAMD operation 'Persistent Effort', which also includes the UDAA NASAMS in Latvia, the Patriot battery in Türkiye and the 'Tigru' detachment - with the radar of the Mobile Air Control Group (GRUMOCA) - also based in Romania, on the shores of the Black Sea.

NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence (NATO IAMD) is an essential and enduring mission in times of peace, crisis and conflict. It aims to secure and protect Alliance territory, populations and forces against air and missile threats and attacks. In this way, IAMD contributes to the Alliance's deterrence, common security and freedom of action. To this end, IAMD takes all necessary measures to deter and defend against air and missile threats and to neutralise or reduce the effects of hostile air action. The system is implemented through the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS), a network of interconnected national and international systems comprising sensors, command and control centres and weapon systems.

Con este importante despliegue en IAMD, España contribuye a la protección del flanco este del territorio aliado, lo que demuestra la solidaridad con nuestros aliados, con los que compartimos los valores que sustentan y protegen la democracia, la libertad y la seguridad mundial. 

With this important deployment in the IAMD, Spain is contributing to the protection of the eastern flank of the Allied territory, demonstrating solidarity with our allies, with whom we share the values that underpin and protect democracy, freedom and global security.