Exercise Orion 23 is reportedly the most prominent multinational exercise undertaken by the French armed forces. It has been in the planning since 2021 and involved thousands of French troops, supplemented by troops and aircraft from Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Stage four of the exercise saw the Air Force flying against the hostile forces known as "Mecure". The primary fighter response came from Base Arriene Mont-de-Marsan. It included the Indian Air Force with four French-built Rafales alongside the Hellenic Air Force's Mirage 2000s, a mix of home-based Rafales and Mirage 2000s, and four Rafale jets based in St-Dizier. Stage four of this multinational exercise, which took place from April 17 to May 5, 2023, was interesting.
Following my visit to Cobra Warrior on January 23, I looked forward to the warm sunshine in the Southwest of France. Unfortunately, things only got worse with three days of continuous drizzle and heavy rain before I threw in the towel (quite literally).
RB 001 Rafale DH from 17 Sqn "Golden Arrows" is based at Ambala Air Force Station, India.
The Indian Air Force (Bharatiya Vayu Sena) F3 line Rafales have been given fourteen specific upgrades, which include a viewing helmet and a towable anti-missile decoy.
The four Rafale DHs of the Bharatiya Vayu Sena arrived at Mont de Marsan from India via a stopover in Egypt. They were accompanied by two Boeing C-17 transport aircraft and two support IL-78 tankers, both of which returned to Egypt without landing in France.
Thunder over Mont de Marsan.
After three days of rain, I am heading home.
