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| Ilustration F-35 Fighter, Eurofighter Typhoon and Gripen Fighter |
International Military - F-35 fighters, Eurofighter Typhoon fighters and Gripen fighters participate in an aerial maritime exercise on May 25. The exercise aims to protect US Navy destroyers over the Baltic Sea as part of the Neptune Shield 22 Precautionary Activity (NESH22).
The purpose of this simulation exercise is to ensure that ships are protected by an effective integrated air and missile defense system. For this, troops engage in defensive dogfights with their enemies. Not only that, it also simulates air attacks on ships. This is based on the British Royal Air Force (RAF) announced in a statement.
The exercise was conducted over the Baltic Sea by Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth and F-35B Lightning fighters from RAF Marham. The RAF aircraft were then reinforced by Czech Air Force Gripen fighters as they arrived at the training area with the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
The RAF Typhoon carried out a surprise attack for seven hours. Later, it came under the control of the USS Gravely to provide effective integrated air and missile defense to protect the ship, the press release said.
In a statement, RAF Lossiemouth Typhoon Pilot said, "We conducted defensive aerial combat against the enemy simulating air strikes against ships." The NESH22 allows NATO forces to incorporate a high-end maritime strike capability.
This is done none other than to maintain regional stability. Various missions and training activities across the theater can be carried out simultaneously across Europe due to the unique capabilities of allied air power.
Furthermore, allied air, land, and sea components have all increased their readiness as a result of NESH22. NESH 22 is held in the Baltic Sea, Adriatic Sea and Mediterranean Sea regions from May 17 to May 31.
Countries participating in the exercise include Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, UK and the US.
Interestingly, those involved in this exercise are jets across generations. Quoted from Forces.net, the F-35 is a fifth-generation fighter jet with stealth technology. It has an overall length of 15.6m (51.2ft), has a wingspan of 10.7m (35ft) and a height of 4.36m (14.3ft).
It reaches a top speed of Mach 1.6 or 1,200mph – that is 1.6 times the speed of sound – and a maximum thrust of 40,000lbs. The jet has a range of 900 nautical miles and a combat radius of 833 km.
This single-seat, single-engine, sensor-integrated fighter aircraft is used to carry out missions and operations from the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth-class carriers. Unlike previous generation fighter jets, the Lightning is designed to carry its weaponry internally, reducing its drag and radar signature.
Depending on the mission, the typical armament on the F-35B includes a 25mm cannon, two bays for air missiles, two more for bombs up to 450kg. Meanwhile, the Eurofighter Typhoon is a generation 4 fighter jet, as is the Gripen.