Excalibur Nov_Dec 2011 Issue Part 1 - RFCA

UNIT ARTICLES
26
100 Squadron get a taste of Dijon
For three very successful weeks spanning September and October, 100
Sqn detached to FAF Dijon in France to jointly work with their French
sister aggressor squadron. 2/2 Cote D’Or Esquadron fly the highly
impressive and manoeuvrable Alpha Jet and are now the only Military
aircraft permanently based at FAF Dijon, with the recent relocation of
the Mirage 2000 Sqns to FAF Luxeuil.
The three week detachment was made
up of two separate exercises, involving
6 Hawk aircraft and 38 personnel,
which together achieved over 200 safe
and successful missions. EX BURGUNDY
PIRATE ran for the first week followed by
EX EPIAS for the second and third.
The objective of EX BURGUNDY PIRATE
was to cross pollinate skills, knowledge
and procedures as well as enhance the
mutual respect for one another’s capabilities
in both the blue and red air environment.
In achieving the objective, 100 Sqn flew a
plethora of joint missions involving dissimilar
air combat in both the ‘beyond’ and ‘within’
visual range arenas. Each day 100 Sqn aircrew
fought against multi-element packages of
Alpha Jet, Mirage 2000 as well as the newest
and most advanced French front line jet,
the Rafale. The merging of two aggressor
squadrons proved a unique concept; that by
developing mutual red air procedures and
tactics, and by presenting two platforms with
differing characteristics, 100 Sqn and 2/2 Esqn
provided front line forces with an added and
previously unseen red air dynamic.
During the second and third week, the main
focus of the detachment changed from the air
to air to the air to ground environment, thereby
emphasising the multi-role capability of 100 Sqn.
EX EPIAS was a multi national, joint forward air
controlling exercise, in which 100 Sqn provided
air assets to enhance the wider exercise objective
of developing multi-national air-land integration.
From the feedback received, the provision of native
English speaking aircrew proved to be of great benefit
to the French forward air controllers who are shortly
deploying to Afghanistan, and who will undoubtedly
work with British Tornado GR4s delivering Operational
effect.
For the entirety of the detachment, 2/2 Cote D’Or
Esqn and FAF Dijon hosted 100 Sqn impeccably. The
whole setup was totally professional in every respect
and made for an outstanding working relationship. It was
remarkable to discover how similar the aggressor Sqns
from both Nations operate, both internally and externally
with their respective front line users. This detachment
defined the essence of the joint political ‘entente cordiale’.
A huge thank you to all personnel that made the
detachment possible, safe and successful. We hope to see
2/2 Cote D’Or Esqn and their Alpha Jets at RAF Leeming in
the spring of next year. 100 Sqn wholeheartedly endeavour
to live up to the high French aggressor standards set in and
out of work, the bar has been well and truly set!
Flt Lt James Harkin