Eagle Eye 24-03' activation successfully completed in the Canary Islands

• During the activation, different defensive air missions were carried out, integrating air, land and naval assets.

This year, the Canary archipelago has been the location for the Eagle Eye 24-03 activation, led by the Operational Air Command (MOA in Spanish) and under the operational control of the Operations Command (MOPS in Spanish).

For this activation, framed within the Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations, resources from the Air and Space Army, the Army and the Navy have been assigned, with the aim of jointly integrating them into the national Air Defence System. The objective was to maximise the efficiency of the participating resources and guarantee the surveillance and defence of airspace of national sovereignty and interest. To achieve this, different defensive air missions have been carried out in response to incursions and movements of unidentified aircraft, improving the training of all the participating units.

From the Air and Space Force, six F-18 aircraft from the 15th Wing (Zaragoza air base, Zaragoza) took part, deployed to the Gando air base on a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission. During the activation, the F-18s carried out air-to-air combat manoeuvres and interdiction missions, demonstrating their ability to respond quickly to potential threats. Additionally, escort and protection of strategic assets exercises were conducted, highlighting the versatility and power of these fighters in simulated combat scenarios. To accomplish this mission, the deployed pilots have been on duty around the clock, permanently ready to be in the air in less than 15 minutes if activated.

For this air surveillance mission to be carried out, the work of all the support and maintenance personnel is crucial, who have everything in place so that the aircraft can be in the air in the stipulated time. In total, they conducted 16 sorties on QRA missions, which represents more than 35 hours of flight time on air defence missions.

The 15th Wing's action has been essential in assessing interoperability with other air, land and naval platforms, which has strengthened cooperation and coordination among the various units present. This deployment not only demonstrated the readiness and flexibility of the 15th Wing, but also contributes to improving joint tactics and strategies in a multi-platform environment.

The Air Operations Centre (AOC) served as the command and control post during the activation, where tactical command was exercised and tactical control was carried out for surveillance operations, air policing and air defence of national sovereign airspace, delegating, if necessary, to the control entities integrated in the Air Defence System (ARS/F-100/UDAAA).

Furthermore, the Alert and Control Group (GRUALERCON in Spanish) provided, thanks to the ‘Link’ links, a total view of the situation of the airspace to be monitored, through the use of all the assigned assets, which makes it possible to identify the traces and decide in each situation the tactical action to be taken. At the same time, the Air Defence System (ARS) controlled the different air assets involved in the activation, managed the surveillance and identification of the airspace and managed the parameters of the radars belonging to the Air Surveillance and Control System in order to optimise their use.

Regarding the Spanish Army, the Hercules 24-02 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Unit (UDAA in Spanish), deployed in the towns of Gando and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, was made up of personnel and material from the RAAA 71, RAAA 73, RAAA 74, UTMAAA, GACA XII and the BIMT I/67 LEGAZPI. The UDAA accomplished the mission entrusted to it, demonstrating its readiness and availability to guarantee the security of airspace of national interest through presence, surveillance and deterrence in the sovereign airspace.

On the part of the Navy, the frigate ‘Blas de Lezo’ (F-103) contributed to the surveillance and air defence of the national territory in the southern waters of the Canary Islands archipelago. The various equipment and systems on board, highlighting the AEGIS Combat System and the SPY-1D radar, not only allow for the early detection of air traces, but also enable all threats that may arise to be dealt with. This has allowed training to be maintained, as well as assessing the integration of air, naval and ground resources in highly complex situations. In addition to the ship's crew, two tactical aircraft controllers at sea were also on board.

Eagle Eye 24-03

In this edition, the Eagle Eye 24-03 activation and the Sirius 24 exercise were executed in a coordinated and synchronised way. This integration enabled the execution of air defence missions in highly complex environments, demonstrating the great preparation of all the personnel involved and the high effectiveness of the air defence system established by the Operational Air Command (MOA in Spanish).

During the activation, the more than 2,000 participating military personnel demonstrated their high readiness to contribute to the security and defence of national sovereign airspace, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Thus, the perfect synchrony in terms of air defence between the participating Air and Space Army, Army and Navy systems has been confirmed, demonstrating their capacity for integration in the Air Defence System (SDA in Spanish) and developing synergies to carry out multi-domain actions within the framework of permanent operations on national territory.