The flight of US F-15E fighter-bombers with Spanish Eurofighters over Alaska

@DefAviation ES 7·04·2024 · 22:18 0

It's been a week since it started around the world Pacific Skies, which is the largest military air deployment made by Spain in decades.

Pacific Skies, the largest aerial deployment of the Spanish Air Force in decades
The formation flight of fighters of Spain and Germany over Naval Station Rota

This deployment, which includes a route of 58,000 kilometers, is organized jointly with the Air Forces of Germany, Spain and France and is also counting on the participation of an A330 MRTT tanker aircraft from the Royal Dutch Air Force.

As you remember, in the first stage the protagonists of this deployment arrived in Canada, specifically at the Royal Canadian Air Force base in Goose Bay. There they have finally met Spanish Eurofighters from the 11th and 14th Wings, and a Spanish A400M from the 31st Wing; Eurofighters and Tornado fighters, A400M and 1 C-130J of the Luftwaffe; and Rafale fighters and two A330 MRTT of the French Air Force. Above these lines we can see a photo of the Luftwaffe showing two Spanish Eurofighters (left) and two German Eurofighters (right), along with two A400Ms and several A330 MRTTs in the aforementioned Canadian series.

After the stopover in Canada, on July 1 this large air deployment began its transfer to Eielson AFB, in Alaska, one of the main bases of the US Air Force in that state.

In these photos of the Luftwaffe we can see the flight of the expedition Pacific Skies from Canada to Alaska. In the image we see the Dutch A330 MRTT, another French A330 MRTT and several fighters: a Spanish Eurofighter from 14 Wing (the C.16-68, 14-68), a French Rafale and a German Eurofighter.

Below these lines, a Luftwaffe photo showing a German pilot greeting another officer upon arrival at Eielson AFBaboard a two-seat Eurofighter.

Today the Spanish Air Force has published several photos of Pacific Skies' visit to Eielson. In this first photo appears Brigadier General Pedro Enrique Belmonte, of the Air Combat Command (MACOM) and commander of the Spanish deployment in Pacific Skies, shaking hands with Colonel Caballero, veteran EF-18 pilot .

Below, General Belmonte with two German airmen, a French airman and Lieutenant General David Nahom (right), NORAD commander in Alaska, at Eielson AFB.

Below we can see the day of fraternization celebrated by European and American aviators in Alaska.

At Eielson AFB, the European expedition is scheduled to participate in the Arctic Defender exercise, which will feature the participation of combat aircraft from Germany, Spain, the United States and France, using real weapons, between the 8th and on July 18, according to the official website of Eielson AFB.

In Alaska, the European expedition coincided with USAF F-22 Raptor fighters and F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bombers. Today, the Spanish Air Force has published this series of photos of a joint flight of Spanish Eurofigherts and USAF F-15Es. This first photo was taken from an F-15E.

A Spanish Eurofighter from the 14th Wing, on the left, next to an F-15E from the 48th Fighter Wing of the USAF, based at RAF Lakenheath, England, and which has surely traveled to Alaska for exercise Arctic Defender.

A photo of a Spanish Eurofighter pilot flying alongside an American F-15E, LN 91-604 "Joe Exotic".

Two Spanish Eurofighters from the 14th Wing next to an American F-15E. This photo was taken from another F-15E.

Among the European aircraft arriving at Eielson AFB there are also several German Panavia Tornado IDS fighter-bombers, a veteran Luftwaffe aircraft that will be replaced by the F-35A in the near future. Here we see the Tornado 44+79 of the Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 (Tactical Air Force Wing 33), based in Büchel (photo: USAF).

Among the aircraft that European aviators have been able to see at Eielson AFB is the F-22 Raptor, an advanced fifth-generation fighter that is also the most expensive combat aircraft in history. The F-22 is one of the aircraft of the 3rd Wing based at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska (photo: USAF).