KONYA, Turkey - Even with more than 10,000 successful sorties flown since the first NATO AWACS took off from the Forward Operating Base Konya on Oct. 25, 1983, the FOB continues to prove it is a qualified, reliable base with high standards.
The most recent evidence the FOBs hard work and dedication to the mission occurred when the E-3A Component participated in Anatolian Eagle, an air force exercise hosted by the Turkish Air Force, from June 4 to June 19, 2015, in Konya, Turkey.
This iteration of the exercise, Anatolian Eagle 15-1, included two NATO AWACS and more than 100 fighter jets from Turkey, the U.S., Great Britain, Spain and Pakistan.
“This is a large exercise and is one of the biggest opportunities for the Component to conduct live-training for our aircrews,” said Maj. Nikos Oikonomakis, a tactical director and the deployment commander for this exercise.
The Component launched nine missions from FOB Konya, the Component’s first forward operating base. During the exercise, AWACS aircraft provided more than 45 hours of command and control support to Blue Forces while land-based radars gave support to the Red Forces.
“We are controlling approximately 50 aircraft during each of our sorties here with another 12 jets playing the roles of aggressors,” explained Lt. Col. Mike Belizaire, a tactical director.
Anatolian Eagle, which started in 2001, simulates a war-time environment with a variety of difficulty. After detailed planning, all training is monitored with computer to help test knowledge, abilities and find deficiencies of the participants.
“This is great training for us and our partner countries,” remarked Senior Master Sgt. Raphael Pierrand. “It’s best to train as you would fight and Anatolian Eagle is as realistic as an exercise can be.”
The scenarios for the exercise consist of a "Blue Team" which attacks tactical and strategic targets in a "Red Land" during Combined Air Operations. The Red Land is defended by opposing combat aircraft and surface-to-air missile systems.
An extra benefit of the Anatolian Eagle is it allows the Component to use organic support.
“Deploying to our own forward operating base ensures we have top notch support during the exercise,” said Capt. Sherwin St. Pierre, a navigator. “It also allows the FOB and its personnel to maintain operational readiness.”