Royal Air Force Lightning and Typhoon fighter jets recently joined with French Rafale jets off the UK’s east coast to respond to a simulated air threat.
The two nations met over the North Sea as part of Exercise Griffin Dawn to practise a coordinated response to a potential threat from an aircraft in or near home airspace. Additional RAF Typhoons played the role of the potential air threat and a French A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft provided air-to-air refuelling for both UK and French jets.
The Exercise successfully tested the effectiveness of the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (C-JEF), an Anglo-French partnership which commits both countries to being able to deploy significant air, land and sea capabilities, and more than 10,000 military personnel for a variety of tasks such as peacekeeping, humanitarian aid or bilateral defence.
As well as challenging the airborne assets the Exercise provided an opportunity for a combined French-UK team to conduct training of their Command and Control. RAF personnel joined their counterparts in le Centre air de planification et de conduite des opérations (CAPCO) near Lyon and coordinated with their UK equivalent – the RAF’s 11 Group Joint Force Air Component based at RAF High Wycombe – to provide Command and Control to the assets in the air.
Air Vice-Marshal Robinson, Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group, visited CAPCO and met with General Stéphane Gröen Chief of Staff, Air Defence and Air Operations Command.
The Combined Joint Expeditionary Force is a vital military partnership between the United Kingdom and France. This week I have witnessed the UK Air Component integrate seamlessly with our French Air and Space Force colleagues, demonstrating our interoperability and enhancing our Air Command and Control.
Air Vice-Marshal Robinson
Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group
Through Griffin Dawn we have verified the interoperability between the assets of our two air forces, especially with data sharing and air-to-air refuelling compatibility. Overall, the exercise was a success, and the feedback will allow us to identify areas for improvement.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Christophe
Deputy Chief of Staff for CAPCO
