SKYROS : Une mission d’entraînement exceptionnelle aux Émirats arabes unis
SKYROS: An exceptional training mission in the United Arab Emirates
Updated : 29/01/2021
From 24 to 28 January 2021, the Airmen deployed as part of the SKYROS mission made a stopover in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the Air and Space Forces (AAE) is permanently stationed. During this stopover, the crews had the opportunity to take part in an air exercise focusing on the Entry Force*, mobilising 41 aircraft, including ten French Rafale aircraft.
"It's been years since I've seen so many planes in the air," says Lieutenant-Colonel (LCL) Cyril, head of the Rafale detachment during the SKYROS mission, with a smile on his face. On 26 January, 41 aircraft of all types took off in the skies over the Persian Gulf and reached, in less than 10 minutes, an air combat training area 200 nautical miles long and 100 wide, offering exceptional training conditions. The UAE Air Warfare Center (AWC) was on the manoeuvre. This structure, in which French personnel were incorporated, concocted the scenario for this exercise with a complex tactical framework.
"The four Rafales and the A330 MRTT taking part in SKYROS took part in a COMAO** (Composite air operations) alongside six Rafales from the 1/7 "Provence" Fighter Squadron, four American F15s and an A330 MRTT, two Gulfstream A660s, a "Predator" UAV, two Apache helicopters, four Emirati F16s and four Mirage 2000-9s and two teams of advanced air traffic controllers (JTACs - Joint Terminal Attack Controllers)", explains LCL Cyril. Together they formed the allied force, known as the "blue air". They had to deal with air threats from the "red air", the opposing force, composed of four F16s, four Mirage 2000-9s, two F15s and two Emirati Apache helicopters and various real ground-to-air systems, auguring high intensity fighting.
The mission of the day: to simulate deep strikes on targets protected by a Patriot ground-to-air defence system while providing close air support to allied ground troops.
To do this, each raid player has a well-defined role. The first to enter enemy airspace are responsible for acquiring air superiority as quickly as possible, they are called the sweeps. They are in charge of destroying or repelling all air-to-air threats to allow the bombers, called the strikers, to reach their range of fire in order to neutralise the assigned target(s). However, in a strongly defended territory, acquiring air superiority also means protecting against all ground-to-air threats. This is why aircraft dedicated to the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defence) mission are used. Often positioned in the middle of the Raid, other aircraft are also in the swing role. These omnirrole fighters juggle air-to-air combat and ground attack, a notorious speciality of the Rafale.
The helicopters' mission is to provide close air support (CAS) to allied ground troops. Without defence, fighter aircraft are necessarily dedicated to their protection. Such a mission can last a few hours and, to guarantee sufficient time in the area for the fighter aircraft, the air tank is essential. This is where the Phoenix comes into play. It is positioned far from all enemy threats. As for the A660, as an airborne lookout, its job was to collect intelligence.
In this high spectrum of air conflicts, all this manoeuvring, these missions within the mission, must be orchestrated to the second. It is necessary to be able to adapt to all the different scenarios envisaged during preparation and briefing. Therefore, a conductor at the head of the raid is necessary and it is the 1/7 "Provence" which has been designated to arm the role of the Mission Commander (head of mission).
After an hour and 15 minutes of hard fighting, the blue and red men returned to dry land. Once landed, the participants attended the debriefing given by the AWC. With the help of dedicated software, the recording of the mission was projected onto a giant screen. This way, all those involved were able to visualise the battle minute by minute. The crews then became aware of the number of aircraft in flight during the mission. The key points of the training were identified so that lessons could be learnt from the day's tactical choices, and even from the mistakes made. We are very satisfied with this mission," says LCL Cyril. We were able to benefit from the co-location of all these aircraft and actors, the preparation resources offered by the AWC and the size of the Emirates' flight zones.
