2016 Domestic Training Schedule For The Polish Air Force
As the Polska Zbrojna outlet reports, a few days ago, General Mirosław Różański has presented the domestic training exercises schedule of the Polish Air Force.
The plan covers year 2016, preceding the major Anakonda-16 exercise.
The operations have a joint character and they will, besides the air force, involve land forces, Polish Navy and the special operations component of the Polish Army.
The main goal of the events is to prepare the Polish Air Force units for the Anakonda-16 exercise which is going to be the largest, international training initiative organized within the territory of Poland this year – involving almost 30 thousand soldiers in total.
“Raróg” series exercise, organized by the 2nd Tactical Aviation Wing from Krzesiny, planned between Apr. 25 and Apr. 29 is the first out of the planned operations.
The goal of this event, as Polska Zbrojna reports, quoting Col. Piotr Próchniak of the 2nd Wing, is to verify the level of logistical and command and combat components readiness of the soldiers and equipment which is expected to be involved in the operations carried out by the NATO Response Force.
The exercise is to involve 450 soldiers, hailing many from the Polish Łask and Krzesiny bases. The assumption is that the aviators, within the scenario, operate over a foreign land, on a 24 hours/day basis.
The pilots will fly intercept, air-to-air combat, ground attack and close air support sorties. F-16 jets are going to play the role of own forces, acting against the enemy simulated by MiG-29, Su-22 and Casa C-295M aircraft.
1st Tactical Aviation Wing, as Polska Zbrojna claims, is getting ready for a large “Kondor-16” operation which is going to be realized both at the base of the unit, as well as within the Ustka and Nadarzyce ranges.
Besides the elements of the 1st Wing, Polish 21st and 22nd Airbases, 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Base (Mirosławiec), Special Forces JTAC component, 6th Airborne Brigade Reconnaissance Platoon and chemical elements are also going to be involved in the exercise.
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Several MiG-29 and Su-22 fighters are going to stay in the air simultaneously during the operation, realizing bombing runs and rocket attacks against ground targets.
The chemical units will also be trained within the scope of decontamination of the aircraft, realized in case of a potential chemical warfare attack. It is also assumed that ground airbase defensive operation is going to be a part of the exercise too.
Moreover, 4th Training Aviation Wing of the Polish Air Force is going to carry out the Halny-16 operation, a command staff exercise. The main aim of the operation is to prepare the participants to plan reconnaissance sorties and quick deployment of the air assets, in a way which would allow the combat aviation units to use the Dęblin airbase, usually dedicated to training purposes.
All of the above events may be interpreted as a prelude to the Anakonda-16, one of the NATO initiatives undertaken in the light of the Ukrainian crisis, the aim of which is to reinforce the alliance’s eastern flank.
The said exercise is going to involve more than 25,000 soldiers: 12,000 troops will be provided by Poland and 10,000 troops will be deployed from the USA. The remaining troops are going to come from other NATO member states and partner nations, as Głos Wielkopolski, quoting Lt. Col. Szczepan Głuszczak, spokesperson for the Polish General Command of the Armed Forces, reports.
According to Głos Wielkopolski, the operation planned to take place between Jun. 7 and 17 is going to involve, among other units, the Krzesiny and Powidz airbases, the involvement of which is going to be visible to a large extent.
The aviation assets will be used to conduct airborne operations and reception of the allied forces.
Anakonda-16 scenario is going to assume a hybrid conflict takes place. Civilian crisis management centers and reserve component of the Polish Army are also going to make their contributions to the undertaken operational activities.
The Air Force is probably also going to take part in some operations abroad, such as the NATO Tiger Meet or Frisian Flag exercises, usually attended by the Polish aviation assets. The above outline refers solely to the domestic operational activities with focus placed on the Air Force operations.
Image Credit: Jacek Siminski
