RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire has played a leading role in Exercise Cobra Warrior, the largest exercise that the RAF runs.
The exercise continues to expand and increasingly involves a land focussed element to the exercise. It is this element that the North Yorkshire Station has been providing the lead for. Air Power is the key to delivering land power and RAF Leeming is where the helicopters from Joint Helicopter Command flew their sorties from. Chinooks from RAF Odiham, Merlin and Wildcats from the Commando Helicopter Force and Army Air Corps Apaches were all hosted at RAF Leeming.
The Air Land integration phase of the exercise involved complex missions that had to be planned and executed from several dislocated locations across the UK, with the dispersed elements coming together across the north of England to fight the enemy. Serials included utilising air power to insert ground forces to capture an airfield. Rescuing personnel from simulated enemy territory and landing RAF Regiment Precision Strike Teams to find and direct simulated airstrikes onto enemy air defence systems.
Overseeing the RAF Leeming element was Wing Commander Mcfadden, Officer Commanding 92 Squadron based at RAF Waddington.
I have been coordinating the Air/Land integration part of the exercise from here at Leeming. I head up the Exercise Control team that deliver the challenging scenarios. We provide the most realistic threat environment possible for the participants taking part so they receive the best training possible against a realistic opposition; we enable them to train as they would fight.
Wing Commander Mcfadden
Officer Commanding 92 Squadron
A key element of Exercise Cobra Warrior is to connect together the remote planning elements from the various force elements involved in a mission to ensure the planning is coordinated. The nature of the exercise means that the planners are challenged by having to operate in different domains such, as ground and air but also taking into account space and cyber. All of this in a context of changing locations and rapidly changing weather conditions.
It’s so important that we practice operating from dispersed locations. In an operational situation its unlikely we would all be sitting face to face in one room – this is much more representative of what would happen. It is really rewarding to see how the participants bring together the aircraft and the weapons systems, including Precision Strike Teams from the RAF Regiment in to a point in space and time, dealing a devastating blow to the simulated enemy; to see that come together is both impressive and rewarding.
Wing Commander Mcfadden
Officer Commanding 92 Squadron
This iteration of Exercise Cobra Warrior has now finished after three weeks of challenging training scenarios for all participants.
