Royal Air Force Coningsby has hosted aircraft and personnel from the Royal Saudi Air Force as RAF Typhoon Force and the Saudi aircraft take part in Exercise Cobra Warrior.
Cobra Warrior takes place twice a year and is the largest air exercise run by the Royal Air Force. The exercise is designed to train participants in high intensity, large force, tactical air warfighting operations.
The RAF Coningsby frontline squadrons that took part in the exercise were XI (Fighter) and 3 (Fighter) Squadrons who conducted missions alongside partner nations that included the RSAF detachment as well as aircraft and personnel from Belgium, Finland, India and the United States. The missions flown from RAF Coningsby involved vectoring to an airspace and simulating real ‘air fighting’ scenarios.
From a squadron point of view, Cobra Warrior provides a unique opportunity to exercise as a four-ship fighting unit within a larger force scenario. It enables RAF pilots to continue to develop high end warfighting skills for contingency operations in accordance with the UK Defence plan.
It’s very exciting to be involved. It is an invaluable opportunity to work with foreign partners and develop as multi-role fighter pilots. I hope this will continue for many more years.
The flying is similar to what we do on a daily basis, however, larger force exercises mean that more mission planning is necessary to uphold strict safety measures.
3 (F) Squadron Pilot
The nations also meet outside of the cockpit, at RAF Waddington in the Mission Planning Cell where the pre-flight planning stages and debriefs occur. This allows for the nations to integrate with one another and improve interoperability.
The Royal Air Force and RAF Coningsby have a long-standing relationship with the Royal Saudi Air Force, it has been a delight to have welcomed our colleagues to our Station during Exercise Cobra Warrior.
Each Air Force operates in a slightly different way. Even though the RAF and the KSAF fly the Typhoon, there are still nuances in how we conduct our business. This exercise has given us the opportunity to explore those variations, to practice our skills and to exchange best practices so that we benefit from this valuable opportunity working alongside allies.
Group Captain Cooper
Station Commander RAF Coningsby
