Allied forces unite over Norway in Arctic Challenge Exercise

Photo By Maj. Christopher Mesnard | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Samuel Dahlgren-Castillo, 100th Air Refueling Wing, tops off the oil on a KC-135R after a refueling mission Sept. 17, 2013, on Main Air Station Ørland, Norway. "DC" and other maintainers from the 100th ARW, RAF Mildenhall, England, and the 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, England, are supporting the aircraft participating in the Arctic Challenge Exercise hosted in Norway. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Christopher Mesnard/Released)  

ØRLAND, 16, NORWAY

09.18.2013

Story by 1st Lt. Christopher Mesnard 

100th Air Refueling Wing   

ØRLAND, Norway - More than 60 aircraft climbing into the sky to duke it out and work toward common goals may seem like a glorified war-game scene out of a movie, but beginning Sept. 16, 2013, this is exactly what took place just north of the Arctic Circle.

Following one of the largest movements of 48th Fighter Wing F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15C Eagles since Allied Force, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe in conjunction with a multinational-Scandinavian collaboration kicked off the first ever Arctic Challenge Exercise over Norway.

Norwegian F-16 Fighting Falcons, Swedish JAS-39 Gripens, Finish F-18 Hornets and U.K. Eurofighter Typhoons took to the skies with the U.S. Air Force F-15s and KC-135R Stratotankers to train in a coalition environment, in both a strategic planning and tactical war fighting simulation, practicing in flight maneuvers and communication with each other. Two NATO E-3A AWACS aircraft also joined in and provided aerial combat command for the dueling aircraft.

"The air force has, in periods, had the need to train at bigger scenarios with more aircraft, and this is difficult in Norway, with only our own planes at disposal," said Col. Baid Solheim, Main Air Station Bodø base commander. "Before the cross border training we had to deploy to foreign, far away countries to fly against other types of aircraft, [now] we fly directly from Bodø. In this way it's very efficient in costs."

The Arctic Challenge Exercise focused on bringing the Scandinavian nations, the U.S. and the U.K. together in the air, to challenge their pilots to react quickly and work together to achieve a common goal. During times of maximum participation, more than 60 aircraft are expected to partake in scenarios intended to keep the air crews proficient in international interfly.

"During this exercise, we will face almost every scenario that could be seen in any war or conflict," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Rich Stringer, 494th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations, and lead project officer for the 48th FW's participation in the exercise. Additionally, all aircraft will take turns as the aggressor as each aircraft and a combination of different aircraft take on different scenarios requiring different capabilities, according to Stringer.

The genesis of the Arctic Challenge Exercise is to train a coalition air force able to operate in a joint environment. In particular, the exercise allows multiple nations to perform aerial operations simultaneously and give critical feedback on how to improve processes and become a more efficient and effective force - especially in a multinational environment.

"These exercises provide U.S. and NATO forces an opportunity to integrate their operations at both the tactical and strategic levels with a high level of fidelity that could not otherwise be achieved without live fly exercises," said Capt. Timothy Gerne, 100th Operations Support Squadron chief of wing weapons and tactics, and director of operations for the 100th Air Refueling Wing portion of the exercise. "Similar to a Red Flag exercise in mission sets, large force numbers, and multinational integration; the benefits of hosting it locally allows us and our allies to focus resources towards operations and not transportation to the U.S."

In addition to flying with their allies, airmen in MAS Ørland and MAS Bodø combined the exercise with a simulated deployment. The simulation tested many assets in U.S. Air Forces in Europe including medical, legal and financial services to name a few. The all-encompassing nature of the exercise keeps the U.S. Air Force men and women in Europe prepared to deploy with a short notice, should a real situation arise where they are needed quickly.

"This exercise improves the readiness of everyone because of the variety of scenarios and the high level of skill that we are flying with and against," said Stringer. "The Finns, Swedes, British, and Norwegians are all very skilled aviators and have very competent forces."

The Arctic Challenge Exercise is planned to continue until Sept. 26, building upon the skills and techniques before culminating in a final scenario testing the pilots' and their ability to operate in a diverse force.

(Editor's note: Follow the day-to-day coverage of the Arctic Challenge Exercise on Twitter at #ACE13.)

• Date Taken: 09.18.2013
• Date Posted: 09.18.2013 05:00
• Story ID: 113814
• Location: ØRLAND, 16, NO