Operation Eagle Eye
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Ignacio Lillo
Malaga
Wednesday, 14 February 2024, 12:33
If you see (and above all, if you hear) fighter planes above the Costa del Sol this week, don't panic: they are Spanish air force jets on training manoeuvres. Malaga Airport, along with Motril and the Alboran Sea, are the venues until 16 February for the first Eagle Eye exercise of the year.
The aim of this joint air force, army and navy training is to improve the efficiency of Spain's national air defence system and the development of surveillance and deterrent operations, Lieutenant General Francisco González-Espresati, head of the Air Operational Command, said on Tuesday 13 February.
Six Eurofighter Typhoon C. 16 fighters from the Albacete-based 14th Wing will take part in a QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) mission. This means that within 15 minutes of receiving an alert, pilots and all other necessary personnel are ready and the aircraft takes off to deal with a potential threat to national security.
To carry out these aerial surveillance functions, 56 military personnel from this unit, including crews and maintenance and support personnel, have been deployed to Malaga Airport. Two of these fighters were in the skies yesterday (Tuesday).
The bulk of the exercises will take place over the Alboran Sea (off the Costa del Sol). The lieutenant general clarified that they will not fly over Malaga city, except in the areas close to the airport runways during approach and take-off, to minimise the noise and disturbance factor to the public.
However, there will also be aircraft of other classes participating in the exercises (such as F18s, C101s, A400s and C295s) that will act as "stimulants" against which the Eurofighters have to react. "It is possible that they will simulate attacks on the airport and the air base," González-Espresati said. Aviation enthusiasts can see these aircraft take off and land, from Churriana and the surrounding area.
The army’s Hercules Air Defence Unit will be deployed in Motril, Salobreña and Torrenueva Costa and will provide anti-aircraft defence, complementing the surveillance of the sovereign airspace. It is part of the I/74 Anti-aircraft Artillery Group, based in San Roque, Cadiz, and is made up of HAWK, NASAMS, MISTRAL and 35/90 anti-aircraft guns.
The Navy's frigate Cristóbal Colón is also taking part in Eagle Eye, and will patrol the waters of the Alboran Sea with the task of providing surveillance and anti-aircraft defence capabilities, and will complement the coverage of the air surveillance squadrons and the anti-aircraft artillery unit deployed. This frigate belongs to the F-100 series and is the fifth of the Álvaro de Bazán class. Its AEGIS combat system, together with the SPY-1D multifunction radar, gives it a great air defence capability.
Another of the missions carried out by these forces is the surveillance and immediate reaction to the so-called Renegade cases, which is when civilian aircraft is commandeered by terrorists.
"With actions like this we aim to expand the culture of defence among the population; it is a way of showing society that we are there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for their security and to defend the interests of the nation," González-Espresati said.
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