Spadeadam Exercises

Subject: Spadeadam Exercises 2009-08-18, 01:35

A plethora of updates on the MOD low flying website include these for Spadeadam.

8/9/09 - 10/9/09 Exercise WYCOMBE WARRIOR 09-2
LFAs 11,12,13,14,16 and 17
Exercise WYCOMBE WARRIOR 09-2 is a medium-scale joint multi-national live fly exercise that will take place in the north of England and southern Scotland. Up to 60 sorties will be flown on each day with the main air to ground activity centered on the Spadeadam Electronic Warfare Training Range. Close Air Support will also take place within the Spadeadam Range, and also at Brizlee Wood, near to Alnwick. Participants in this exercise will be mostly UK assets, augmented by Rafale and Mirage 2000 from France, and A-10 Thunderbolts from the USAF at Spangdahlem. Flying will take place in 2 day waves, with some additional night activity.

22/9/09 - 23/9/09 Exercise BOLD AVENGER
LFAs 11,12,13,14,16 and 17
Exercise BOLD AVENGER is a NATO-sponsored medium-scale exercise. The exercise will take place in the north of England and southern Scotland and will be run by the Combined Air Operations Centre in Finderup. Up to 40 sorties will be flown each day and the air to ground activity will be centered on the Spadeadam Electronic Warfare Training Range. The majority of participating air assets will operate from Karup, Denmark with USAF F-15Es from Lakenheath and RNLAF F-16s from Leeuwarden. Flying activity will take place between 0800-1100 local daily. Participants include Belgian, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Polish, Portugese and Turkish F-16s; French Mirage 2000s; USAF F-15Es, and US KC-135 and UK VC-10 Tanker ac.

Subject: Re: Spadeadam Exercises 2009-08-18, 01:39

Sounds interesting, but as all the local Spadeadam guys know this doesn't mean to say we will see much! Fingers crossed huh?!

Location : Newcastle Spotter Watch Member : no

Your right there Pete if you do see them they are usually about 2000 feet or working well above the clouds. Went to Brizlee last year heard alot saw next to nothing apart from the odd jet through the clouds at 1000's of feet.
Still as you say you never no. 1 pic from Spade is a good day

Michael

www.mf-images.com

Subject: Re: Spadeadam Exercises 2009-08-18, 05:22

MF1 wrote:: Still as you say you never no. 1 pic from Spade is a good day

With 60 or 40 sorties a day, hopefully the law of averages will provide something interesting.

Location : Newcastle Spotter Watch Member : no

St John please dont be fooled by the Notam 40 to 60 sorties ha I would be shocked if there was more than a handful through Spade. Lets quote TLP notams of 30 plus fast jets yes they came through the range but did anybody ever manage to get a decent low level shot???
On the visible ones max of 10 aircraft and sometime they were never even seen.

Take your chance mate you never know but dont be to disapointed if you seen only clouds thats what the law of averages say with Spade.

Michael

www.mf-images.com

Location : York, UK Spotter Watch Member : No

Hi - a newbie question - as part of an exercise, does Spade traffic ever also go through the Lake district lowfly system ?
I was wondering, rather than risking a wasted day with no traffic at Spade, going to Dunmail could be an option - with the possible added traffic from the exercise ?

thanks
PeteD, York

Location : Newcastle Spotter Watch Member : no

Hi yes the Lakes are a possibilty but usually traffic seems to comes in from the east. There seems to be less low flying now as a lot of the aircraft do hi level stuff way above the clouds. I remember the Swedish Grippens on the range all day but never seen as above the clouds most annoying. I think the kit they use is the Lightning Pod or something.

Michael

www.mf-images.com

Subject: Spade 2009-08-19, 08:41

Most traffic inbound Spadeadam to carry out CAS/FAC will fly straight there for their slot, but aircraft carrying out first run attacks will use the range in their low fly sortie and fly through carrying out 1 pass, but as was said by MF1 there isnt much low fly traffic these days as due to the current conflicts a lot of squadrons carry out CAS work often above the clouds. I've never actually been there im just going by what iv'e read in various magazines and books.

Cheers

Location : Newcastle Spotter Watch Member : no

Well today for Wycombe Warrior
Arrived 0855 Departed 1600
1 F15 Brew 35,000ft
1 Typhoon Gringo lowest 11,000 ft
and a 100 sqn Hawk Javlin low level

40 Aircraft Yea right

Michael

Location : Cleveland Spotter Watch Member : No

MF1 wrote:: Well today for Wycombe Warrior
Arrived 0855 Departed 1600
1 F15 Brew 35,000ft
1 Typhoon Gringo lowest 11,000 ft
and a 100 sqn Hawk Javlin low level

40 Aircraft Yea right

Michael

Might not have been much in the way of aircraft but the banter was top notch.
Colin Spadeadam Exercises 333264

Subject: Re: Spadeadam Exercises 2009-09-09, 12:25

MF1 wrote:: Well today for Wycombe Warrior
Arrived 0855 Departed 1600
1 F15 Brew 35,000ft
1 Typhoon Gringo lowest 11,000 ft
and a 100 sqn Hawk Javlin low level

40 Aircraft Yea right

Michael

I stuck it out till 17:45 - only other traffic were 2 x GR4,s , one of them did one low run over the mock airfield and the other stayed well south over the A69 Spadeadam Exercises 608622

Location : Newcastle Spotter Watch Member : no

Hi Collin

Yes as usual the banter takes over and keeps things ticking over. If only we had rang at 1100 it would have saved us wasting all day.

Michael

www.mf-images.com

Subject: Re: Spadeadam Exercises 2009-09-10, 23:01

Back again for a Thursday afternoon visit .... (found out F15,s & Typhoon had appeared 10mins after I left last night) Spadeadam Exercises 198814

Thursday turned out to be a better day..nice clear sky all day and more aircraft

F15,s ("Storm") came down to within camera range and did some impressive runs. "Gringo" Typhoons spent a long time targeting from medium altitude with a few passes within camera range

"Carbon" hawk did a fair few runs at low altitude simulating cannon attacks

Sounded from the radio that most formations did a 50-50 split with one half using Spadeadam & the other going to Brizlee Wood

Went quiet for an hour or so about 15:00 ish followed by low level Typhoon attacks on the airfield & a couple of GR4,s that Spadeadam unleashed 'smokey sams' at

Still not a sniff of the mentioned A-10 or Mirage's and I have to admit I have found Spadeadam busier on a normal day with no Wycombe Warrior type exercises

Cheers Bat 21

Location : Whitehaven, Cumbria

Would be good to see some pics when your able. Spadeadam Exercises 698488

Subject: Re: Spadeadam Exercises 2009-09-11, 17:10

ChrisG wrote:: Would be good to see some pics when your able.

Sorry Chris, didn't actually use the camera mutch .. just sat in the sun watching & listening on the scanner ... only one I did shoot was the "Gringo " Typhoon as I am not use to seeing typhoons other than when they are on airshow duty.

So here is "Gringo 53" pulling out after a dive bomb run

Spadeadam Exercises Gringo53

Location : n.west Spotter Watch Member : no

In the Rest Of The Country link Big Lamp has placed the info that 3 Cougars 3 AH 64s are at Carlisle

Airport, so obviously they will be operating out of Spade when the Bold Avenger Traffic ends at 11.00am

makes for an interesting week.

Location : Newcastle Spotter Watch Member : no

Just so anyone going is aware.
The Dutch are also using Otterburn aswell

Michael

www.mf-images.com