Twenty US Air Force (USAF) F-15 Eagle/Strike Eagle fighters and four F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters were sent to Polish air bases in Łask and Krzesiny on Monday (19) to participate in an Agile Combat Employment exercise. (ACE) with the local air force.
The Eagles belong to the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath, England, while the F-16s of the 480th Fighter Squadron came from Spangdahlem Air Base, .
In addition to the fighters, C-130J Super Hercules planes from the 37th Air Transport Squadron from the Ramstein base in were sent to the operation. according to website The Aviationist, the F-16 and F-15C went to Krzesiny while the Strike Eagle will stay in Łask. The C-130s will operate from the Air Base of Chièvres, in Belgium.
Within the scope of the exercise, USAF personnel will operate with the 2nd Tactical Aviation Wing of the Polish Air Force, training interoperability, t procedures and mission tactics training with Polish F-16C/D and MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters.
Before the start of the operation, USAF pilots will make familiarization flights with the terrain, local rules and procedures. At least two daily sorties are planned, according to the Polish portal Polska Zbrojna.
t. Michał Kolad, spokesman for Łask Air Base, told the portal that air defense, territory defense, air combat, ground attack and in-flight refueling missions will be part of the t exercise, ending with COMAO missions (Composite Air Operations ) ed by NATO E-3 Sentry aircraft.
“The opportunities to train alongside our Polish allies are incredibly valuable and extremely important. This allows us to hone our combat skills, build lasting relationships and learn to operate seamlessly as a combined force.”, said General Jeff Harrigian, commander of Air Forces Europe and Africa, in release.
The Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept envisions using agile operations to generate resilient airpower in a contested environment.
“ACE is a proactive and reactive operational maneuver scheme executed within threat timelines to increase survivability while generating combat power,” explains the USAF.
“US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces in Africa are operationalizing ACE concepts to increase agility, resiliency and lethality across all air operations.”
