The Eagles have landed; 346th Air Expeditionary Group begins Exercise Eager Lion 12

Photo By Capt. Nicholas Mercurio | Royal Jordanian air force Capt. Ata Sarayra (center), project officer, No. 1 Fighter Squadron, Mwaffaq al Salti Air Base, speaks with U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Alexander 'Snip' Haldopoulos (right), 131st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Commander, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Kenneth 'Hatman' Fedora (left), 131st EFS director of Operations, May 8, 2012, here, about joint flying operations in support of Exercise Eager Lion 12. Eager Lion is a multinational exercise May 7-28, with more than 11,000 participants from 19 different countries designed to portray realistic, modern-day security challenges while enhancing partner interoperability and strengthening long-term relationships. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Nicholas Mercurio, 346th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs)  

AMMAN, JORDAN

05.08.2012

Courtesy Story

U.S. Special Operations Command Central

By U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Nicholas Mercurio
346th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

MWAFFAQ AL SALTI AIR BASE, Jordan — U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles from the 131st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, 346th Air Expeditionary Group, arrived May, 8, here, is support of Exercise Eager Lion 12.

Eager Lion 12 is a multinational exercise with more than 11,000 participants from 19 countries taking place in the Kingdom of Jordan, May 7-28.

The exercise is designed to portray realistic, modern-day security challenges that will promote cooperation and interoperability among participating forces, build functional capacity and enhance readiness.

For the 346th AEG, Eager Lion 12 provides a unique opportunity to train and fly with the Royal Jordanian air force across a varying spectrum of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

“We are excited about the opportunity to work with a foreign nation, some of us for the first time,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Nathaniel “Kona” Zajac, project officer, 131st EFS. “The goal is to build partnerships and improve our ability to operate together in a joint, multi-national environment,” he said, “and along the way learn about our similarities and differences because we have different airframes, different cultures.”

After the aircraft arrived, the American pilots were brought to the Royal Jordanian air force No. 1 Fighter Squadron headquarters, where their Jordanian counterparts briefed local airspace restrictions, airfield traffic flow, and the capabilities of RJAF F-16 aircraft.

After the brief, RJAF Capt. Ata Sarayra, project officer, No. 1 Fighter Squadron, echoed Zajac’s thoughts, “We will exchange experiences, enhance our flying capabilities and extend our cooperation to our friends. I hope we increase our understanding of how each other operates in real-world environments and [build] even closer relationships,” Sarayra said.

• Date Taken: 05.08.2012
• Date Posted: 05.18.2012 04:02
• Story ID: 88612
• Location: AMMAN, JO