ELITE 06
Extract from the » Hungarian version
The NATO has several large scale flying exercises in Europe. One of them is the ELITE (Electronic Warfare Live Training Exercise) which aims not only the training of the aircrews among real circumstances, but the testing of some new armament systems and procedures, too.
The circular range is divided into pieces like a cake, with each "piece" becoming active at different times. The SAMs range from the SA-7 Strela and the Stinger to the Patriot. There were some anti-armour tanks also, like the German OZELOT or the French CV 90. Russian built midsize systems were present such as the SA-6 Kub and the SA-8 Osa. Two German research groups worked on projects aiming the passive identification of enemy aircraft.
Of the 15 participating nations 9 had aircraft on the exercise, ranging from the light helicopters to the supersonic fighters, and tactical transports. There were missions when the German Bo-105s had to destroy a Patriot missile launcher first so that the recce Tornados could reach their destination, and then the combat helicopters had to escort a Swiss CSAR Cougar. There were such COMAOS, during at first the Swiss escort Hornets clashed with the "red" German F-4Fs, followed by the British Tornados destroying the radar of the SAMs, and finally the German Tonkas bombed their target, a warehouse - while both parties were suppressed by Falcon 20ECMs.
Most of the NATO jets operated from Lechfeld, while the German Phantoms took off from their home base, the nearby Neuburg. The Swiss and Finnish Hornets were based at Manching while the transports at Landsberg.
The participants included Greek and Turkish F-16s (from 341 Mira and from 151 and 181 Filo), Turkish F-4E-2000 Terminators (111 Filo), Spanish (151 Sq), Swiss and Finnish Hornets, British (IX Sq) and German (32 JBG, 51 AKG) Tornados, and Polish Su-22s from 8. ELT, Miroslawiec. Electronic countermeasures was provided by Falcon 20s of the Norwegian Air Force and the Flight Refuelling Aviation and Learjets of Gesellschaft für Flugzieldarstellung - all based at Manching.
Fifteen countries sent observers to the exercise this year. Their aim was mostly to evaluate the performance of the different anti-aircraft systems, but the three Finnish observers arrived so as to learn how to organise such an exercise - they would like to organise a similar one up North.
Nowadays ELITE is one of the most important exercise of the NATO air forces in Europe. The plethora of anti-aircraft defences, in such a high concentrate that "in real life we probably hadn't attacked such a defended target" (Flt. Lt. Alex Jung) is really unique among the war-games.
