Pacific Skies 2024 was created with the idea of demonstrating the ability of three aerospace forces to deploy together and operate a powerful force in any corner of the world, and in the case of the deployment of German, French and Spanish personnel and assets. During their global deployment, German, French and Spanish personnel and assets will take part in the Arctic Defender (Alaska), Pitch Black (Australia) and Tarang Shakti (India) exercises, as well as making logistical stops in some of the countries in the area, such as Japan, the Philippines and Malaysia.
The round-the-world trip
The event, which will mainly cover the Indo-Pacific area, will start at the German air base in Nörvenich (Cologne) and end in India at the Sulur base. For this purpose, the three European countries involved in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program will deploy 28 combat aircraft and 16 large tanker and transport aircraft, which will fly 58,000 kilometers over a period of 54 days.
The deployment is being carried out solely with means developed by the European defense industry, demonstrating its capacity to develop top-level aerospace products such as the Eurofighter, the Rafale, the A330 MRTT and the A400M.
The complexity of the missions to be performed during Pacific Skies 2024 will be an excellent opportunity for airmen from Spain, France and Germany to train realistically in current and future scenarios, integrating technologically advanced and interoperable capabilities from several allied countries.
The collaboration of the three Air Forces will serve to bring these nations closer together, improving their interoperability and their vision of how to operate in complex scenarios. For example, during the long flights of the deployment, Spanish Eurofighters will be refueled in flight by German Air Force A330 MRTT aircraft, while Spanish A400Ms will carry cargo and provide support throughout the deployment to the three air forces.
Likewise, collaboration agreements were established that will allow shared maintenance of Spanish and German Eurofighters, which will result in effectiveness and efficiency in preventive and active maintenance work on the fleet.
Antecedents
This is not the first time that NATO’s European partners have made a show of force in the Pacific (although it is the most important), as Pacific Skies 2024 has as precedents the Rapid Pacific 2022 deployments, in which six Eurofighters, four A400M and three A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) aircraft of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) flew 12. 800 km in 24hs, en route to Australia; and operation Henri Brown, in which the French Air and Space Force deployed a force composed of three Rafale fighters, two A330 MRTT Phénix in-flight refueling aircraft and two A400M transport aircraft, in which the aircraft arrived from France to New Caledonia in 72hs.
The purpose of these deployments was the participation of German and French forces in the Pitch Black 2022 multinational exercises, organized biannually by the Royal Australian Air Force, in which 100 aircraft and 2500 military personnel from 17 countries, including several NATO members, such as the USA, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK, France and Germany, took part.
Deployment
The assets involved in the deployment will be:
- Spanish Air and Space Force (Spain):
- 4 Eurofighter jets
- 2 A400M transport aircrafts
- 1 A330 MRTT multirole tanker aircraft
- Lutwaffe (Germany):
- 8 Eurofighters
- 12 Tornado attack aircrafts
- 4 A400M transport aircrafts
- 4 A330 MRTT multirole tanker aircraft
- l’Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (France):
- 4 Rafale fighters
- 3 A400M transport aircraftsM
- 2 A330 MRTT multirole tanker aircraft
