The second activation of the 'Eagle Eye 2023' is completed in the Spanish Levante region.’

• This operational activation was a demonstration of the integration of the assigned capabilities of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Air and Space Forces.

The operational activity 'Eagle Eye 23-02' has shown that the resources assigned to the Operational Aerospace Command (MOA) and its 2,000 participating troops are highly prepared to respond to any air threat.

In this activation, six Eurofighter aircraft from Wing 11, the Air Surveillance Squadrons (EVAs), the Northern Command and Control Group (GRUNOMAC), the Air Operations Centre (AOC), Army resources from the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command (MAAA) to form the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Unit (UDAA) and the Navy frigate F-104 Méndez Núñez were integrated into the Aerospace Defence System (SDA). All under the tactical command of the Commander of the Aerospace Operational Command (CMOA) and operational control of the Commander of the Operations Command (CMOPS).

Simulated air-to-air and air-to-ground attack missions, close air support missions, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, special air operations and personnel recovery missions, tactical transport missions and force protection missions were conducted. All of them have enabled the training of all the elements that make up the Aerospace Defence System: the AOC, the Aerospace Surveillance and Control System (SVICA) and the aforementioned MOA Units.

The Air Force has participated from the Zaragoza Air Base with the 11th Wing in the 'Eagle Eye' activation with 6x C.16 (Eurofighters) in early warning service, Quick Reaction Alert (QRA). These Air Defence missions aim to respond immediately to the threat, taking off in less than 15 minutes.

During the air police missions, the pilots tested joint air defence procedures with the UDAA and the frigate "Méndez Núñez", demonstrating their high degree of training and interoperability, carrying out some 30 air missions, with more than 50 hours of flight time.

This activation has not only served for the training of the 11th Wing personnel deployed to the BOC (Base Operation Centre) of the Zaragoza Air Base, from where the coordination of the assigned air resources has been carried out, It has also been an excellent training opportunity for the personnel of the AOC of the Air Combat Command (MACOM), from where the MOA Commander exercises command and control of the assigned resources and forces and they are tactically directed by the interception controllers from the GRUNOMAC bunker located in Zaragoza.

The UDAA 'Maestrazgo' deployed in the province of Castellón has been subject to simulated attacks by fixed wing aircraft of the Air and Space Army, which increased the realism of the training, making the most of this opportunity to work together on the occasion of the 'SIRIO' exercise in which the air component of the activation has been immersed.

The personnel of the UDAA's Command and Control core, supported by the Transmissions Unit of the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command (UTMAAA), kept the unit integrated into the national Air Defence System with its HAWK, NASAMS, MISTRAL and 35/90 gun batteries. The Fire Unit, with the different aforementioned means, has participated in the surveillance and defence of the airspace, as well as of the vital points assigned, from its respective settlements.

In addition, the Logistical Support Core has sustained the entire activation from the least visible part of it: food, health support and deployment logistics, resolving all the incidents that have arisen with impeccable efficiency. Finally, the components of the Barcelona 63 Infantry Regiment, from Barcelona, have been in charge of the security of the deployment, providing protection to the different settlements, as well as in the movement of personnel to them.

Finally, the frigate "Méndez Núñez" has contributed to the surveillance and air defence of the national territory in the eastern waters of Valencia, thanks to its AEGIS Combat System, its Command, Control and Communications resources (C3), the on-board Air Interception Air Controllers, belonging to the Navy's Aircraft Flotilla, which have carried out 6 control missions and, of course, the training and preparation of its crew.

All of this has meant that the union achieved by the capabilities of the Army and Navy during the 'Eagle Eye 23-02' activation not only contributes added value to the defence of national airspace, but also demonstrates the high degree of readiness and availability of our armed forces.