Exercise Cooperative Bear RAF St Mawgan 1998

Exercise Cooperative Bear 1998 featured significant para drops across the Salisbury plain, and many former Eastern block transport aircraft participated alongside their NATO partners. 

"Cooperative Bear 98." 

A NATO Medevac/humanitarian aid exercise, running from the 4th to the 13th of September 1998.

I must have been slow in going forward! First, I visited Salisbury Plain drop zones, then a trip to RAF Keevil, another drop zone. The result was nothing other than a Polish AN-26 at Keevil.

So, it's time for action. I departed for the exercise's main operating base at RAF St Mawgan.

Yes, it was a long drive, but it was rewarded with some great aircraft. The number one position had to go to the Latvian Air Force LET-410, but there were some lovely pickings enhanced by the Cornish clear light, as you can see below.

2506 An-26 call sign "Bear 0809B" with stunning grey, black, and white camouflage.

955 C-130H RNorAF from 355 Skvadron based at Oslo/Gardermoen Airport.

Red 145 Let 410T Latvian Air Force, from the 3rd Tranporta Eskadrilla based at Lielvarde.

1603 An-26 PolAF 13 plt from Krakow/Balice.

114/62-IJ CN-235 Escadron de Transport 01.062 "Varcors" from Creil airbase near Paris.

955 C-130H RnorAF landing back at RAF St Mawgan.

XV306/306 Hercules C.1 LTW/RAF Lyneham, callsign "Bear 0813."

U-03 Fokker 60U 334 Squadron RNLAF  based at Eindhoven.

U-03 Fokker 60U RNLAF.

84005/845 TP84 Hercules Swedish Air Force from F7 at Satenas airbase.

84005/845 TP84 Hercules Swedish Air Force.

114/62-IJ CN.235 French Air Force.

955 C-130H RNorAF Taxies.

G-FRAS Falcon 20C FR Aviation from Bournemouth/Hurn airport.

XV300/300 Lockheed Hercules C.1 from LTW/RAF Lyneham callsign "Bear 0814".

XV300/300 Lockheed Hercules C.1 RAF.

2409 An-26 CzechAF arrived from the 6 Základna Dopravniho Leteckva (6 ZDL) at Kbely.

6150 C130B Hercules Romanian Air Force serving with the 90ATB at Otopeni/Bucharest.

XV306/306 Hercules C.1 RAF landing back at RAF St Mawgan.

ZE396 BAe 125 CC3. RAF Landing from RAF Northolt. Today preserved at Landgoed Groot Bentveld.

145 L410T Latvian Air Force.

ZH658/106 Harrier T10 1 Squadron RAF.

ZD435/47 Harrier GR.9 1Squadron RAF from RAF Wittering.

XX205 Hawk T1A Royal Navy, low pass from RN Culdrose.

XZ585/A Sea King HAR3 departs on a local mission. Today, it is preserved at the RAF Museum at Hendon.

ZE369/S Sea King HAR3 RAF departing RAF St Mawgan on a training mission. 

Unfortunately, I did not get to photograph the participating Lithuanian Air Force An-26 as it had gone tech before my visit.

Happy Days!

 

NATO Exercise Ample Train 1993 at RAF St Mawgan Cornwall.

The Ample Train Exercise 1993 was held at RAF St Mawgan in the United Kingdom. The participating jets deployed there on 23/5/1993.

Ample Train as an exercise was devised to improve the ability of NATO's airforces to work on and with each other's aircraft, with aircrews servicing another nation's aircraft.
Nine air arms, with two fast jets each, participated in the operations except the RAF, who participated with three Tornado GR1s. And if I remember correctly, it was a torrid time servicing them in the very damp conditions we all faced that week in May 1993.

We spent our days at the airfield and the nights in the small village of St Mawgan, staying at the Falcon Inn. Those nights turned into very late nights with great beer and food! Sorry, I digress, so here are the transparencies all captured on Kodachrome 64.    

 77-0113/CR of the 32nd TFW USAFE from Soesteburg Airbase in the Netherlands.

77-0113 and 77-0097 'CR' F-15As of the 32nd TFS USAFE.

 
F-104S ASA's MM6719/51-09 and MM6703/51-23 AMI/22 Gruppo 51Stormo.

Coming from Istrana Airbase.

MM6719/51-06 F-104S ASA AMI/22 Gruppo 51 Stormo.

MM6703/51-23 F-104S ASA AMI/22 Gruppo 51 Stormo.

MM6719/51-06 and MM6703/51-23 mission on.

FA-74 F-16AS FAB/31 Sqn 10 Wing.

FA-84 F-16AS FAB/31 Sqn 10 Wing.

 Two F-16Ds arrived from the TurAF/Öncel filo 4/cuAJU at Mürted airbase. This was the first  Turkish Air Force squadron to receive the F-16Cs and D's as the training squadron or Öncel. In 1999, it was later re-designated the 143rd Sqn.
Interestingly, in the same year as Ample Train 1993, the base became known as Akinci airbase; many years later, with its strategic position just Northeast of Ankara, it became the centre of the failed 2016 coup d'etat attempt.
Following the failed coup, Akinci was re-designated to its former name, Mürted.

86-0196 F-16D TurAF/Öncel Filo 4 cuAJU.

86-0195 F-16D TurAF/Öncel Filo 4 cuAJU.

J-616 F-16AS KLU/311Sqn.

J-622 F-16AS KLU/311Sqn.

201 Mirage 2000BG HAF/311 MPK, 141Pterix.

243 Mirage 2000EG HAF/331MPK, 141Pterix.

ZA475/JL Tornado GR.1 RAF 27 Sqn. Unfortunately, I did not photograph the other two aircraft, ZA474/JK and ZA491/JN, for technical reasons. I'm not sure of the reasons for them not flying, but locally, it was imagined to be the wet weather.

EF-18A Eda/Ala 15 recovers in that ever-changing weather.

C-15-33/15-20 EF-18A Eda/Ala 15.

FA-74 and FA84 F-16AS  FAB/31Sqn, 10Wing, recover late afternoon.

37+77 and 37+92 F-4F's GAF/JG-74. They were returning from a morning mission, and the weather had just disintegrated; listening to the scanner communication with the GAF pilots whilst landing was a tad exasperated in those difficult circumstances.

37+92 F-4F GAF/JG-74.

C-15-35/15-22 EF-18A Eda/Ala 15.

Mirage 2000's 201/243 HAF 331MPK/141 Pterix run for the break.

"Great days in Cornwall!"