INIOCHOS 2021
Babak Taghvaee reports on the role of the French Air and Navy forces at the recent Iniochos 2021 exercise organized by the Hellenic Air Force
EUROPE’S LARGEST AIR drill, Iniochos 2021, involving 151 fixed wing aircraft and seven helicopters, was held in Greece by the Weapons Tactics School of the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) between April 12 and 22.
The aircraft from participating nations Cyprus, France, Greece, Israel, Spain, the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) included 109 fighters, 25 cargo aircraft, eight tankers, two airborne early warning and control aircraft, two liaison aircraft, a maritime patrol aircraft, seven helicopters and two UAVs. Among them were 16 fighters belonging to the French Air and Space Force (FASF) and the French Naval Aviation force (Aéronavale).
It was the first time in the history of Iniochos’s annual medium-scale Invitation exercises (INVITEX) of the HAF that the FASF, the Aéronavale as well as the Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire) had participated, with 11, five and seven fighters respectively.
The exercise was a great opportunity for French Mirage 2000D and Rafale B/C/M fighter pilots and weapon systems operators to increase their interopera…
