US, Greek forces complete bilateral flight training, build partnerships

by Capt. Emily Grabowski
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

2/28/2014 - SOUDA AIR BASE, Greece -- U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles and Hellenic air force F-16s flew a combined 270 missions during two weeks of NATO training at Souda Air Base, Greece.

The 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, known as the Mighty Black Panthers, departed Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, Feb. 13, to work alongside the pilots of the HAF's 343rd Squadron at the 115th Combat Wing on the Greek island of Crete.

"This has been a unique opportunity for us to exercise and evaluate our aircraft and personnel in a NATO training environment," said Lt. Col. Philip Principi, 494th EFS commander. "We've been able to challenge ourselves daily during large-force exercises consisting of up to 30 aircraft - six different airframes from four different bases."

Greek and U.S. military relations can be dated back to the early 19th century when Greece was fighting for their independence, as the two nations found commonality under their values of freedom and democracy. Today, those values are still at the heart of their missions. 

"We've been able to share tactics, techniques and procedures in the planning, execution and debrief; which will continue to build the tactical partnership between our two countries," Principi said. "With key training opportunities like this one, we gain the experience of flying together, and we're better prepared to execute a successful, tactical game plan."

This is the first time in more than 10 years that the HAF has hosted a flying training deployment of this size. For Greek and U.S. pilots, working together brought new philosophies to the table, despite the language barrier and difference in aircraft. 

"The U.S. Air Force has a lot of experience, and we can gain a lot of benefit," said HAF Capt. Nickolas Danias, 343rd FS F-16 pilot. "In the beginning, it was hard. The Eagle is huge; it turns different; but similar capabilities, similar radar."

Bilateral FTDs, like this one in Greece, are planned in advance to strengthen military-to-military relationships and increase NATO interoperability.

"Training starts from the briefing," Danias said. "The [F-16] Block 52+ is multirole, just like the F-15. We try to show how we [F-16s] protect, while the Eagles strike."

While aircrew and aircraft were key to the overall mission, Airmen from the 48th Maintenance Group made up the majority of the 260 personnel on the U.S. side of training operations in Greece.

"Many of the maintainers on this trip have spent a great amount of time working in the back shops and providing tours of our aircraft and operations," said Capt. Timothy Aanerud, 494th EFS maintenance officer-in-charge. "I believe these actions are paving the way for future maintainers to come to Souda Bay. The maintenance support provided by the HAF has been really awesome."

The 494th EFS' headquarters, the 48th Fighter Wing, also recently sent aircraft to participate in allied training or support air policing operations in Norway, Iceland, Lithuania, and Spain.

"As NATO allies, our countries could be called upon at any time to project combat air power," Principi said. "This joint training is essential to our preparation should we ever need to respond.

Interview notes for HAF Capt. Nickolas Danias, 343 Squadron, HAF F-16 Block 52+ pilot. "Training starts from the briefing. In planning, we see new philosophies." "We try to show how we [F-16s] protect, while the Eagles strike."

While aircrew and aircraft were key to the overall mission, Airmen from the 48th Maintenance Group made up the majority of the 260 personnel on the U.S. side of training operations in Greece.

"Many of the maintainers on this trip have spent a great amount of time working in the back shops and providing tours of our aircraft and operations," said Capt. Timothy Aanerud, 494th EFS maintenance officer-in-charge. "I believe these actions are paving the way for future maintainers to come to Souda Bay. The maintenance support provided by the HAF has been really awesome."

The 494th EFS' headquarters, the 48th Fighter Wing, also recently sent aircraft to participate in allied training or support air policing operations in Norway, Iceland, Lithuania, and Spain.

"As NATO allies, our countries could be called upon at any time to project combat air power," Principi said. "This joint training is essential to our preparation should we ever need to respond."