The large-scale exercise focuses on fifth and fourth-generation integration, with F-35s flying both as Blue and Red Air.
From November 15 to 28, 2022, F-35s from Italy, United States and the Netherlands are training together at Amendola Air Base, in southeastern Italy. The exercise, currently in full swing, is focused on the integration between fifth and fourth-generation aircraft and integration between different allied F-35 operators which, as you may already know, are two increasingly recurring topics since the entry into service of the Lightning II.
Al via il 14.11 al 32º Stormo dell’#AeronauticaMilitare l’esercitazione internazionale #FalconStrike2022.
Impiegati oltre 40 caccia di Italia, USA e Paesi Bassi tra cui F-35A e B.
Obiettivo: consolidare la cooperazione interforze in scenari complessi tra gli aerei partecipanti pic.twitter.com/W5bng0Ltnh
— Aeronautica Militare (@ItalianAirForce) November 17, 2022
Most of the Italian Air Force’s assets are involved in the exercise, each operating from their home bases as the reserved areas cover a large chunk of the airspace over the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea.
Here below is a list of all the confirmed assets which are taking part in the flight activities.
Blue Air:
- ItAF F-35 (both A and B variants of the 32° Stormo and 6° Stormo);
- RNLAF F-35A (322nd Squadron);
- USAFE F-35A (495th Fighter Squadron “Valkyries”);
- USAFE F-16CM (555th Fighter Squadron “Triple Nickel”);
Support:
- ItAF E550 CAEW;
- ItAF C-27J;
- ItAF C-130J;
- ItAF HH-101;
- ItAF KC-767A;
- USAFE KC-135;
Red Air:
- ItAF F-2000;
- ItAF Tornado IDS;
- ItAF F-35 (both A and B variants, 32° Stormo only);
- Italian Navy F-35B;
- ItAF MQ-9A;
- ItAF HH-101;
- ItAF HH-139.
As you can see in this list, the F-35 is not only playing as a Blue Air asset, but also as Red Air. This means that the F-35 pilots are practicing on how to operate with allied 5th gen. aircraft and on how to counter adversary 5th gen combat aircraft. The latter is an objective shared also by the better known Red Flag exercise, which integrated for the first time adversary F-35 assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron during the 22-3 edition.
U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa is again supporting the exercise, which this year involves for the first time the F-35s from the 495th Fighter Squadron “Valkyries”, the first permanently deployed fifth-generation assets within U.S. European Command’s area of responsibility, based at RAF Lakenheath, UK, since December 2021. F-16s from the 555th Fighter Squadron “Triple Nickel” based at Aviano AB are also deployed to Amendola, together with the US and Dutch F-35s.
“Falcon Strike 2022 provides our Airmen and Allies critical opportunities to train how we fight – together,” said Gen. James Hecker, USAFE-AFAFRICA commander. “Any opportunity to train and operate as a coalition force strengthens the Alliance as we face more dynamic threats in highly contested environments.”
During the exercise, the F-35 European Air Chiefs Meeting will also take place, bringing together fifth-generation European 5th-gen operators to discuss F-35 interoperability, opportunities, and challenges in a dynamic theater. Falcon Strike is, in fact, rapidly becoming a reference point for this kind of exercises, thanks also to the large spaces available for the flight activities, which are among the largest approved during any exercise in Europe.
Per la “Falcon Strike 2022” dal 15 al 24 novembre possibili disturbi al segnale GNSS nelle aree di attività “STAR” ad est della Sardegna.
➡️ Dettagli: https://t.co/UTpuN9Ntfw
➡️ Mappa: https://t.co/kraDqcYiSN pic.twitter.com/iTMobtSmIA
— Desk Aeronautico (@DeskAeronautico) November 15, 2022
According to some insiders, the USAF F-22 Raptor fighters currently deployed in Poland were also expected to move to Amendola and take part in exercise, however the deployment was cancelled. The F-22 are in fact deployed at Łask air base since August for the NATO Air Shielding mission. The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier, which is currently on station in the Adriatic Sea few miles from Amendola, is also not involved in the exercise.
We had the chance to attend the Spotters Day planned on November 17, where we captured the photos you can see here in this article. As during most exercises, the aircraft typically fly two waves each day. The morning wave is usually dedicated to the individual training needs of squadrons and pilots, while the main wave is dedicated to the exercise’s main objectives. Night activities are also included throughout the exercise.
Both experienced instructors and new pilots have been deployed to Amendola for Falcon Strike, maximizing the training return by sharing knowledge and lessons learned between different air forces. This level of cooperation is already a well-established practice, as Italian, US and Dutch pilots also train together at Luke Air Force Base, where the international Formal Training Units are based and pilots go through their B-Courses and learn how to fly the F-35.
