The TAD ‘Paznic’ concludes its air policing mission in Romania after achieving significant operational milestones

During the deployment, Wing 14 personnel conducted an A-Scramble sortie, weapons integration activities, advanced training and the first combined Hot Pit Refuelling with Germany

The Tactical Air Detachment (TAD) ‘Paznic’ has successfully completed its NATO enhanced Air Policing mission in Romania (Combined eAP70).

The 53 Spanish air force personnel from Wing 14, based in Albacete and under the command of Commander Félix Dieguez Pita, achieved the objectives set for the deployment. Among them were enhanced interoperability and operational agility, highlighting the close coordination with the German Air Force, as well as rapid response capability and the full application of the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept.

During the three-week mission, TAD ‘Paznic’ accumulated 90 flight hours, contributing decisively to the surveillance, defence and deterrence of Allied airspace on NATO’s eastern flank. The detachment operated from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania alongside the German Air Force.

The most significant mission was an A-Scramble sortie that brought together Spanish and German Eurofighters on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) to jointly intercept an airspace violation in Romanian airspace.

Another highlight was the integration of German METEOR missiles on Spanish Eurofighters, validating common technical procedures. At the same time, this activity reinforced the ACE (Agile Combat Employment) concept, whose principles include agility, interoperability, survivability, continuity of air operations and operational availability.

In addition, an advanced training mission was successfully conducted under the Flexible Deterrence Options (FDO) framework, led by aircraft from TAD ‘Paznic’. Around twenty aircraft and air defence systems from Spain, Germany, France and Romania took part in the exercise, training to operate in anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) scenarios in order to strengthen combined response capabilities.

Finally, one day before the redeployment, the TAD ‘Paznic’ achieved another operational milestone by carrying out the Hot Pit Refuelling procedure in a joint operation involving Spanish and German forces. Two aircraft, one from each country, took off from the Romanian base and, after landing, refuelled with their engines running, allowing them to take off immediately. This manoeuvre significantly reduces ground time, increases responsiveness and improves operational effectiveness in demanding scenarios.

According to Commander Dieguez, “this operation allowed us to work side by side with the German Air Force, ensuring success in terms of interoperability. Above all, it demonstrates our ability to project our capabilities rapidly to any location at any time and reinforces our commitment to NATO, as well as the leadership we have demonstrated over these three weeks by achieving so many operational milestones.”