The news comes as NATO members pledge stronger ties and cooperation in the face of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. After a recent NATO summit in Madrid, alliance members also pledged to increase defense spending, with both London and Paris committing to increase budgets over the remainder of the decade. Reports from RAF State Typhoons have provided combat air training with French Air and Space Force Rafale fighter jets, flying from their base locations around the eastern Mediterranean.
An RAF statement confirming the exercise read: “Royal Air Force Typhoons of 903 Expeditionary Air Wing in Cyprus conducted joint training with French Rafale multi-role fighter jets flown by the Middle East Air and Space Forces .
“When conducting bilateral air-to-air combat training over the Eastern Mediterranean, the fighters were supported by air-to-air refueling from an RAF Voyager, also from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing.
“The aircraft undertook rare and extremely valuable one-on-one Dissimilar Air Combat Training, often referred to as dogfighting, with the Rafales.
“The RAF’s Voyager tanker extended the time needed by the fighters, extending training opportunities to further improve proficiency.”
Wing Commander Frazer, commander of 903 Expeditionary Air Wing said: “Building on the previous mission conducted in December 2021, this activity remains fundamental to advancing the interoperability goals of both countries.
“In addition to some very valuable flights, the operation sends a strong strategic message that we remain in the Eastern Mediterranean as a valuable member of both the Counter-Daesh mission and other NATO operations, ready and able to work together seamlessly. with our many partners in the region.”
Last month, the RAF unveiled a new strategy in the face of the ever-changing security challenges presented by global events.
Speaking of the new priorities, Air Chief Marshall Sir Mike Wigston said: “We operate in an era of strategic competition and confrontation, with countries actively destabilizing the international order on which we rely for our security, stability and prosperity.
“This strategy must inspire, inform and align with everything we do as a service so that together we will achieve the Royal Air Force vision of being the most operationally successful, agile and innovative air force in the world; always ready for our nation.”
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Included in the upgrade will be the world’s most advanced RADAR, the European Common Radar System (ECRS), which will transform the Typhoon’s sky control, enabling world-leading electronic warfare, allowing the aircraft to simultaneously detect, identify and track multiple targets in the air and on the ground.
It will also support operations in the most challenging situations, equip pilots with the ability to suppress enemy air defenses using powerful jamming and attack targets out of range of threats.
The work will also allow the aircraft to integrate additional capabilities and weapons later in the decade to counter emerging threats through 2040 and beyond.
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Britain is also in the early stages of designing and developing a sixth-generation fighter aircraft called “Tempest”.
However, the Typhoon program still supports over 20,000 jobs across the UK.
The latest investments, negotiated by Defense Equipment and Support (DE&S), support more than 1,300 jobs in the UK, including Leonardo UK’s Edinburgh, Luton and Lincoln sites, BAE Systems in Warton and Samlesbury, Lancashire, Kent, Meggitt in Stevenage and II –VI in County Durham.
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