While NATO and some partner’s fighter jets continue with pretty boring patrol flights to enforce a Libyan No-Fly Zone that is slightly becoming useless (given the total lack of aerial threats), Germany has deployed its Eurofighter Typhoons to Decimomannu, Italy, to undertake air-to-air training in the ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) ranges.
With 12 ships, the JG73 detachment is the largest German Air Force’s Typhoon deployment to “Deci” so far. The following photographs, taken by Alessandro Fucito and Giovanni Maduli in September show some single and two-seater Typhoons, fitted with IRIS-T missiles and drop tanks, take off and land during intense flight operations (several sorties per day) whereas RNlAF F-16s and Spanish Air Force F-18s, B707 and KC-130H depart or return from Operation Unified Protector missions.
Some countries’ aircrews have lamented the waste of flying hours for NFZ enforcement missions. According to some Dutch pilots, they risk to lose proficiencies if they’ll be required to perform only lengthy Combat Air Patrols over Libya.
Germany has not contributed to the Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector. Italian Typhoons have logged more than 1.000 flying hours over Libya before ItAF withdrew its F-2000s from Unified Protector.
