Indo-Pacific Deployment and Pacific-Skies 2024

Germany - France - Spain: Trilateral project with global partners

Parallel to the German Navy's Indo-Pacific Deployment, which has just begun, the air forces of the three countries Spain, France and Germany are jointly organising a Pacific Skies Deployment from 26 June to 15 August 2024 based on the ships' route determined by sea routes. The path of the participating aircraft naturally follows an air force-specific agenda, but it stretches around the globe in a similar way to the navy's logistical string of pearls characterised by port visits.

Extensive project

The overall framework of the Pacific Skies Deployment 2024 project comprises a total of 28 fighter aircraft and 16 large transport and tanker aircraft from the three nations, which will be flying around the world. The flying units are also actively participating in three multilateral flight manoeuvres, as can be seen on the route map.

Route plan Pacific-Skies Deployment 2024. graphic: Ejercito del Aire/Spain

The Spanish contingent consists of four Eurofighters, two A400Ms and one A330 as well as two support squadrons.

France is taking part with four Rafales, three A400Ms and two A330 MRTTs (tanker aircraft).

Germany provides the majority of flying units with eight Eurofighters, twelve Tornados, four A400Ms and four A330 MRTTs.

Overflight of the German-Spanish formation during the departure of the frigate "Baden-Württemberg" from Rota/Spain. Photo: Ejercito del Aire/Spain

Logistical effort

It is worth remembering that not only the pilots, but also a whole range of support functions need to be manned for each aircraft and, depending on the deployment location, deployed along with the equipment. Anyone who remembers the redeployment of an operational squadron from Germany to Piacenza and Aviano in Italy during the Kosovo war in 1998/99 can imagine the amount of personnel and material that will have to be deployed this summer. Wherever possible, we at marineforum.online will also report on the air force part of the Pacific-Skies project as part of the Indo-Pacific Deployment.

Worth seeing start IPD

To mark the departure of the German naval units frigate "Baden-Württemberg" and task force provider "Frankfurt am Main" on 7 May for the German Navy's Indo-Pacific Deployment, demonstrative overflights were flown in Rota and Wilhelmshaven by a formation consisting of a transport aircraft and a squadron of fighter jets. While in Wilhelmshaven two Eurofighters and two Tornados from German squadrons were flying alongside the wings of the Airbus A400M, in Rota two German and two Spanish Eurofighters followed behind the Spanish A400M in a Diamond formation. The Spaniards managed to take some interesting aerial photographs and a video sequence, which we would like to share with you alongside the photographs taken by the local US Navy press element.

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