Synopsis
Finnish F/A-18 fighter jets have taken to the Baltic skies with Allied aircraft to participate in a NATO training exercise. With the Finnish F/A-18s, the exercise also involved up to 20 Allied fighter jets based along NATO’s eastern flank including French Rafales, US F-15s, Dutch F-35s, Estonian L-39s and Eurofighters from the joint British and German detachment. The fighter jets are supported by German air-to-air refuellers. The training exercise allows Allied aircraft and Finnish aircraft to practise air-to-air refuelling (AAR) capabilities, tactics and procedures to enhance the ability to operate effectively together in the air domain. The training took place on 29 March 2023.
The Finnish Air Force participates regularly in NATO exercises across the Alliance. Exercises like this help Finland to continue familiarising itself with Allied tactics and techniques as the country prepares to join the Alliance as a full member.
Footage includes shots of Finnish F/A-18s flying alongside a German air-to-air refueller Airbus A400M Atlas plus soundbites from Wing Commander Scott Maccoll, Commanding Officer of the UK Royal Air Force 140th Expeditionary Air Wing.
Transcript
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS - GERMAN AIR FORCE AIRBUS A400M ATLAS, TWO GERMAN EUROFIGHTER TYPHOONS, AND FOUR FINNISH F/A-18 FIGHTERS FLYING IN FORMATION
(00:22) VARIOUS SHOTS - GERMAN AIR FORCE AIRBUS A400M PREPARES FOR AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING OPERATION.
(00:56) WIDE SHOT - GERMAN AIR FORCE AIRBUS A400M CONDUCTS AIR-TO-AIR REFUELLING OPERATION WITH A FINNISH F/A-18 FIGHTER
(01:10) WIDE SHOT (NO SOUND) - GERMAN AIR FORCE EUROFIGHTER TYPHOONS ON THE TARMAC
(01:13) VARIOUS SHOTS (NO SOUND) - FINNISH F/A-18 FIGHTER AIRCRAFT ON THE TARMAC
(01:27) WIDE SHOT (NO SOUND) – UK EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON AND GERMAN AIR FORCE EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON ON THE TARMAC
(01:30) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) WING COMMANDER SCOTT MACCOLL, UK DETACHMENT COMMANDER, COMMANDER OF THE 140TH EXPEDITIONARY AIR WING OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
“So an aircraft scramble can be triggered by a number of events. Typically, it might be an aircraft not complying with the rules of the air, the flight plan hasn't been filed, it's not squawking or identifying itself correctly, or maybe it's not communicating through the radios, etc. So anything like that where we don't understand what the aircraft does, could initiate a scramble. That decision will get made by NATO and we will launch to intercept as directed.”
(01:56) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) WING COMMANDER SCOTT MACCOLL, UK DETACHMENT COMMANDER, COMMANDER OF THE 140TH EXPEDITIONARY AIR WING OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
“So during an air interception, we'll get our tasking from NATO, the team here will get airborne, they'll identify the aircraft that is either unidentified or not complying, and they'll get up close and start to work out what's going on. They'll try and speak to it, they'll try and communicate it, identify what it is, and then feed that information back so that further decisions can get made.”
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