Photo By Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Davis | U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Carlos Barron, 492nd Fighter Generation Squadron crew chief, teaches A1C Bryce Klacynski, 48th Communications Squadron infrastructure technician, how to conduct a preflight inspection on a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle during Exercise Ocean Sky 25 at Gando Air Base, Gran Canaria, Spain, Oct. 27th, 2025. During the exercise, personnel participated in cross-specialty mentoring to increase interoperability and improve combat readiness. The exercise included members from Germany, Greece, Portugal, U.S., India and Spain and was designed to enhance readiness, refine compatibility and strengthen combined operational procedures between Allies and partners in a complex training environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Davis) see less
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48th Fighter Wing strengthens partnerships during Ocean Sky
Airmen of the 48th Fighter Wing participated in Exercise Ocean Sky Oct. 20-31.
This annual invitational large force exercise, hosted by the Spanish Air Force, trained participants in air-to-air missions in a highly demanding operational environment in order to promote readiness, combat capability and international cooperation.
This year the exercise hosted the six participating countries on an air base located on the Canary Island, Gran Canaria. Participating nations included partners and allies from Germany, Greece, Portugal, U.S., India and Spain.
The Liberty Wing was represented by the 492nd Fighter Squadron’s F-15 Strike Eagle fighters, supported by the dedicated Airmen of the 492nd Fighter Generation Squadron.
Pilots and weapons systems officers from all nations honed their skills in mission planning through two weeks of offensive and defensive counter air scenarios, with a cumulative search and rescue event.
According to the pilots, the most important lessons were learned in the debrief room.
“There have been moments airborne where it feels like it all meshes and makes sense,” said Capt. Lydia Knutson, 492nd FS pilot. “But it’s really great in debrief when we all get to sit down and watch those moments happen, speak to them and understand why it worked well.”
The Airmen of the 492nd FGS successfully solved their own sets of challenges in a deployed, physically demanding environment, keeping aircraft fueled and ready to fly daily operations.
“The team is really coming together as one to fix any issues with the aircraft,” said Master Sgt. Jarrid Bartoy, 492nd FGS production superintendent. “They have gotten after all of it so we can do what we’re here to do - get the jets back in the air and train with our partner nations.”
Participating in large force exercises like Ocean Sky, alongside Allies and partner nations, enables Airmen to integrate tactics and develop common operating pictures through realistic problem sets within the complex training environment.
“The best part was being able to work alongside and see the other nations launching their jets right there with us,” said Staff. Sgt. Justin Elcombe, 492nd FGS F-15 electrical and environmental systems craftsman. “The perspective offered through this exercise has been incredible.”
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