RAF Typhoon fighter jets and Army Air Corps Apache helicopters concluded a training exercise off the coast of Estonia on Friday, where they practised firing heavy machine guns and advanced missiles, alongside over 10,000 personnel from 11 NATO countries, according to the UK Defence Ministry.
The exercise, known as Spring Tempest, was co-hosted by the UK, Estonia, and France and “demonstrated the ability of the UK and its Allies to deliver precision strikes while operating deep in enemy battlespace.”
“Exercise Spring Tempest has been an outstanding opportunity to integrate effects across the Land, Maritime and Air domains,” said Wing Commander Scott MacColl, 140 Expeditionary Air Wing’s Commanding Officer.
“Working with the Royal Navy and Army has allowed us to exercise high-end skill sets while enhancing interoperability across a broad range of NATO allies,” he added.
This exercise followed Exercise Spring Storm, the largest annual military exercise involving the UK-led NATO-enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup (eFP), comprised of both UK and French forces. The UK had sent over 1,500 troops.
The eFP provides a NATO presence along its eastern border, with troops acting as a “deterrence against any aggression towards the Alliance’s borders,” according to the press release.
Recent actions carried out as part of the UK-led eFP includes air interceptions of Russian aircraft by RAF fighter jets.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
Read more with EURACTIV
Rutte defends migration policy against own party criticism
Source: euractiv.com
