Synopsis
NATO fighter jets are taking part in a large-scale airpower exercise hosted by the Netherlands.
Frisian Flag 2019, as it’s known, involves over 50 aircraft and fighter aircraft from six NATO Allies and a partner nation. The main goal of the exercise is to train joint and combined air operations in a broad spectrum of scenarios. Participating countries include NATO members France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as NATO partner country Switzerland. The Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircraft, a NATO asset, is also participating. The exercise runs from 1 until 12 April.
Footage includes shots of fighter aircraft on the ground and airborne, soundbites from Colonel Arnoud Stallmann, Commander of Leeuwarden Air Base, and French fighter pilot Captain Yohan.
Transcript
- (00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – MULTIPLE AIRCRAFT ON THE FLIGHT LINE
- (00:16) WIDE SHOT – A DUTCH PILOT GETS SETTLED IN AN F-16
- (00:23) VARIOUS SHOTS – GERMAN EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON TAXIS FOR TAKE-OFF
- (00:36) WIDE SHOT – TWO POLISH F-16s TAXI DOWN THE RUNWAY
- (00:53) VARIOUS SHOTS – AMERICAN F-16 TAXIS DOWN THE RUNWAY
- (01:08) WIDE SHOT – RADAR IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD
- (01:13) WIDE SHOT – A DUTCH F-16 TAKES OFF
- (01:19) WIDE SHOT – GERMAN EUROFIGHTERS TAKE OFF
- (01:40) VARIOUS SHOTS – MULTIPLE FRENCH MIRAGE 2000 FIGHTERS TAXI DOWN THE RUNWAY
- (02:02) WIDE SHOT – FRENCH MIRAGE 2000 TAKES OFF
- (02:27) MEDIUM SHOT - SWISS F-18s TAXI NEAR RUNWAY
- (02:50) MEDIUM SHOT – A SWISS PILOT GETS OUT OF AN F-18 COCKPIT
- (03:01) VARIOUS SHOTS – FRENCH MIRAGE 2000s ON THE GROUND
- (03:15) VARIOUS SHOTS – COMPUTER SCREENS SHOWING AN AFTER-ACTION REVIEW
- (03:36) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – COLONEL ARNOUD ‘DITCH’ STALLMANN, ROYAL NETHERLANDS AIR FORCE AND COMMANDER OF LEEUWARDEN AIR BASE
“At the moment we are at Air Base Leeuwarden and a lot of nations are gathered here together to fly in Frisian Flag 2019, where we integrate several air platforms to have a coalition fight.”
- (03:51) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – COLONEL ARNOUD ‘DITCH’ STALLMANN, ROYAL NETHERLANDS AIR FORCE AND COMMANDER OF LEEUWARDEN AIR BASE
“So in Frisian Flag 2019 here at Leeuwarden Air Base we have of course the Dutch hosting with Volkel and Leeuwarden Air Base, the US Air National Guard is present, the Polish are here, the French, and we have the Germans and the Swiss, that are non NATO, of course.”
- (04:12) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – COLONEL ARNOUD ‘DITCH’ STALLMANN, ROYAL NETHERLANDS AIR FORCE AND COMMANDER OF LEEUWARDEN AIR BASE
“The coordination of all skills between the platforms from different nations is difficult of course, but that’s why we are here together to plan and train together, so that we know what the possibilities but also the difficulties are.”
- (04:26) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – COLONEL ARNOUD ‘DITCH’ STALLMANN, ROYAL NETHERLANDS AIR FORCE AND COMMANDER OF LEEUWARDEN AIRBASE
“Besides fighter aircraft, we also have supporting aircraft, like AWACS, that gave the fighter control in the air for all the fighters and we have tanker aircraft participating from Eindhoven Air Base, where they refuel our own jets and that helps a lot to make the exercise as it is in real life as well.”
- (04:47) SOUNDBITE (FRENCH) CAPTAIN YOHAN, FRENCH AIR FORCE
La chose que je préfère avec cet avion, c’est voler bas, notamment ici sur l’exercice, on a la possibilité d’évoluer au-dessus de l’eau et ça c’est quelque chose qui est vraiment incroyable avec cet avion. Il se pilote vraiment très bien dans ces conditions-là et c’est là qu’on se sent le plus un pilote de chasse.
(ENGLISH TRANSLATION)
“The thing I love the most about this jet is that you can fly low. Especially here with this exercise, we have the possibility to fly right above the water, and this is something that is really extraordinary with this jet. It is very easy to fly in these conditions and it’s in these contexts that we feel the most like real jet pilots.”
