Giovanni Colla profiles NATO’s final Tactical Leadership Programme flying course of 2016, held at Albacete, Spain.
TACTICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME
AIRCRAFT FROM the UK, Poland, Italy, Belgium and France joined fighters from host nation Spain at the last flying course of the 2016 Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP). Thirty aircraft were divided between Blue Air and Red Air at the exercise, held between November 7 and December 2.
Spain provided EF-18 Hornets drawn from Ala 12 at Torrejón, Ala 15 at Zaragoza and Ala 46 at Gando, plus Eurofighters from Ala 11 at Morón and the Albacete-based Ala 14. It also supplied a Falcon 20 electronic warfare aircraft from 47 Grupo Mixto at Torrejón.
Belgium sent F-16AM/ BM Fighting Falcons, France provided Mirage 2000Ds and the extensive Italian contingent comprised Eurofighters, Tornado IDS and HH-139As.
Italy furnished support for the Red Air contingent, in the form of two T-346As from 61° Stormo. However, these advanced jet trainers were present for only the last week of the flying course.
Poland’s F-16C Block 52s from the 31 Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego (31st Tactical Air Base) at Poznañ-Krzesiny attended, as did RAF Hawk T1As from 100 Squadron, based at Leeming, Yorkshire.
