Spanish Patriot battery, Turkish Phantom fighter-bombers conduct air defence exercise PHOTO

The battery of the MIM-104 Patriot anti-aircraft system of the Spanish Army, deployed in Türkiye, conducted an air defence exercise a few days ago, in collaboration with Turkish F-4E/2020 Phantom fighter-bombers.

According to information from the Allied Air Command, the joint training marked a milestone as it was the first time that the Spanish Patriot missile Contingent AT XIX exercised with the Turkish Air Force at Incirlik Air Base to evaluate the operators of the battery’s combat control station, Zona Militar reports.

Lieutenant Colonel Alejandro Fresno Calvo, commander of the Spanish Army’s Contingent AT XIX, stated, “…initiated during a visit by the Allied Air Command Commander in 2023, the Turkish Air Force proposed bilateral training exercises with the Spanish Patriot Unit deployed in Incirlik as part of this NATO mission with the aim of protecting Turkish facilities in the area… The common goal is to contribute to further improving the interoperability and capabilities of both parties…”, he added.

“During the event, Turkish Air Force F-4E fighter jets from the 111th Konya Squadron approached the responsibility area of the Spanish PATRIOT Battery near Adana“, detailed Fresno Calvo.

The Spanish officer also took the opportunity to highlight the importance of these combined efforts with the Turkish Air Force, stating, “…Exercises like this are a great training opportunity for my Spanish team to further enhance relations with the Turkish Air Force and demonstrate allied cooperation and solidarity…”.

The presence of the Spanish Contingent is part of NATO’s Active Fence mission, which aims to protect Türkiye from potential ballistic missile attacks from Syria. The Spanish Army’s Patriots began their participation in 2014, relieving the detachment from the Netherlands. The Spanish Army specifies that the Patriot Unit is composed of a total of 149 military personnel from the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command Units (RAAA 71, 73, and 74, CGMAAA, and UTMAAA), as well as personnel from the RAAA94 of the Canary Islands command.

NATO initiated the Active Fence mission in 2013, following the decision of NATO foreign ministers to respond to a request for support from the Turkish government. The initial deployment, which included three MIM-104 batteries from the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands, aimed to provide protection against the missile threat during the war in Syria, a conflict in which several involved parties possessed such capabilities.

The Allied Air Command details that “…the location of the deployment is decided jointly with Türkiye as the host nation in close coordination with the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR), who holds operational command of the mission and delegates operational control responsibility to the Allied Air Command at Ramstein Air Base…”.