A LARGE scale and international Royal Air Force training exercise saw aircraft from all over the world touchdown at Carlisle's Lake District Airport yesterday (March 14).
The multinational live-fly exercise, Cobra Warrior 2023, is underway throughout the month with air force detachments from Belgium and the United States, as well as from Finland, India and Saudi Arabia landing all throughout the UK, including Cumbria.
The owner of Carlisle Flight Training centre watched on filming some great footage as Chinook helicopters and A400s descended upon the runways.
Exercise Cobra Warrior is run 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 exercise runs from March 2 to March 24 and will see 70 aircraft taking part, directed by staff at RAF Waddington.
Squadron Leader John Mcfadden, the Officer Commanding 92 Squadron based at RAF Waddington and part of the exercise control said: “This part of the exercise involved RAF Chinook and Royal Navy Merlin helicopters together with F-16 jets from the Belgian Air Force.
"On the ground, a RAF Regiment strike team identified and controlled the F-16 to destroy targets that allowed troops from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles to seize their objectives at Carlisle Airport.
"Once this was achieved, the RAF Tactical Support Wing was deployed to forward support the helicopters.
"The activity at Carlisle airport was just part of the exercise which was also being conducted at RAF Spadeadam where a team from the Metropolitan Police Royal & Specialist Protection team were involved in a Joint Personal Recovery serial for the first time.
"The flying element of the exercise was controlled from the Control Reporting Centre at RAF Boulmer," he said.
Group captain Mark Lorriman-Hughes, the RAF Waddington Station Commander said: “It is wonderful once again to welcome our fellow RAF and international colleagues to RAF Waddington to participate in the world-class air exercise, that is Cobra Warrior.
READ MORE: 'You wait and you listen': The art of low-flying aircraft spotting in LFA17
"This biannual event provides an invaluable opportunity for international allies to train together in developing operational tactics in the air," he said.
If you managed to capture any pictures of the military exercise, send them into our News & Star Camera Club.
Note that all flying is deconflicted with civil aviation at all times.
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