Behind the scenes of the air-to-air photo session of a Spanish KC-130H with an ALA46 EF-18 Hornet.
Held at Gando Air Base, in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, in the second half of January, Dissimilar Air Combat Training 2017 was the most important Air Defense exercise organized by the Ejercito del Aire (Spanish Air Force) this year.
During the Exercise’s Media Day, some aviation photographers went aboard a Spanish KC-130H for an air-to-air photo session with some of the combat planes involved in the drills, including the local-based ALA 46 (Wing) EF-18 Hornets.
As already explained, the ALA 46/Esc. 462 based at Gando flies the surplus U.S. Navy delivered to the SpAF between 1995 and 2000 whereas the ALA 12 from Torrejon and the ALA 15 from Zaragoza, that took part in DACT 2017 too, operate the EF-18A and EF-18B model Hornets (the “E” standing for “España”, Spain), named respectively as C.15 and CE.15 by Spanish AF, along with the upgraded EF-18A(M) (C.15-33) and EF-18B(M) (C.15-36).
H/T Giulio Cristante for the sending the link to the video over.
Here are some really crazy cool shots of the Spanish “Legacy” Hornets.
As already reported, Dissimilar Air Combat Training 2017, the most important Air Defense drills organized by the Ejercito del Aire (Spanish Air Force), at Gando Air Base, in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, gathered some Italian and Spanish Typhoon jets, along with several F/A-18 Hornets of the SpAF.
During the drills, some aviation photographers, including our contributor and friend Remo Guidi, had the opportunity to board a Spanish KC-130H for an air-to-air photo session with some of the aircraft taking part in the exercise.
In this post you can find some of the shot taken by Guidi from aboard the Hercules as well as on the ground at Gando.
The Spanish Hornets attending DACT belonged to various variants and units: the local-based ALA 46/Esc. 462 flies the surplus U.S. Navy delivered to the SpAF between 1995 and 2000 whereas the ALA 12 from Torrejon and the ALA 15 from Zaragoza operate the EF-18A and EF-18B model Hornets (the “E” standing for “España”, Spain), named respectively as C.15 and CE.15 by Spanish AF, along with the upgraded EF-18A(M) (C.15-33) and EF-18B(M) (C.15-36).
Once again we visited Gando, Gran Canaria, to see the Spanish Air Force aircraft taking part in DACT 2014 drills.
From Sept. 1 to 12, Gando airbase, Gran Canaria, Spain, hosted DACT (Dissimilar Air Combat Training) 2014, the annual air combat training exercise of the Spanish Air Force.
DACT2014 was suppported by the EF-18A(M) Hornets from Ala 12, EF-18B(M) planes from Ala 15, and the host Squadron 462, Ala 46, with their F/A-18+ jets.
Also participating were Ala 11 and Ala 14, with their Typhoons along with the Casa 101B trainers from 741 Esc from Matacan.
The Aviationist’s contributor Tony Lovelock took the images of the aircraft involved in DACT2014 (including an interesting visitor).
Africa’s air forces aircraft are quite rare outside their continent. When one of those services owns only few planes, a picture of one of its aircraft has a certain value for aviation spotters and enthusiasts.
For this reason I find the following picture, taken by The Aviationist’s contributor Tony Lovelock, on Apr. 24, 2012, extremely interesting: it shows a Casa 295, serial no. GHF-551, belonging to the Ghana Air Force on final at Gando, Gran Canaria, where it landed for a fuel stop on its delivery flight to Ghana.
Image credit: Tony Lovelock
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