RAF Waddington hosts French Air Force invasion of Mirage 2000Ns and Jaguar Jets seeking a splash and dash during Brilliant Foil 1994 Exercise

Brilliant Foil 1994 was held at the beginning of October 1994, coinciding with the ACMI deployment of French Mirage 2000s at RAF Waddington and a deployment of Spanish EF-18s at RAF Coningsby. It was the first Brilliant Foil exercise, replacing Exercise Priory and Elder Forest. The French Air Force, AdlA, flew multiple missions to the UK during Brilliant Foil 1994 with Mirage 2000Ns, Mirage F1Cs, and Jaguar aircraft from the French Tactical Air Commands EC.3, EC.4, EC.11, and Mirage F-1Cs from EC.33. 

On October 4th, 5th, and 6th, they made quick turnaround landings at RAF Waddington for a Splash and Dash before heading home to their home bases. RAF Waddington was the preferred base for refuelling the Brilliant Foil 1994 participating French jets as there were already French Air Force ground crews present for the ACMI deployment that was in progress.

For the few aviation photographers and enthusiasts who lined the perimeter hedge at the runway 21 end (20 Today) on those October mornings, it was an exciting wait to see these multi-camouflaged jets, as many were still wearing their 1991 Desert Storm (Gulf War) sand coloured camouflage.

I photographed two Spanish Ala 15 EF-18As from Zaragoza Air Base at RAF Waddington, so they were also there for ACMI training. They were not from the five seen at RAF Coningsby from Ala12 Madrid/Torrejón.

Just to complete the picture, German Marine Tornados down the road at RAF Cottesmore and Norwegian F-16s up at RAF Leeming were all participating in Brilliant Foil 1994. 

The images below come from Slide film and were mainly taken on the 4th of October in some reasonable sunshine. The Mirage F-1Cs from EC.33 were on the 6th and not photographed. I hope you will enjoy a look back at those great times.

A160/11-RT Jaguar A EC.11Armée de l'Air.

A89/11-RE Jaguar A EC.11 Armée de l'Air.

A94/11-RN Jaguar A EC.11 Armée de l'Air.

A135/11-RJ Jaguar A EC.11 Armée de l'Air.

335/4-BJ Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

342/4-AG Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

372/4-BR Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

336/4-BP Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

332/3-JQ Mirage 2000N EC.3 Armée de l'Air.

348/3-JA Mirage 2000N EC.3 Armée de l'Air.

358/3-JG Mirage 2000N EC.3 Armée de l'Air.

342/4-AG Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

335/4-BJ Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

335/4-BJ Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

344/4-AJ Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

336/4-BP Mirage 2000N EC.4 Armée de l'Air.

In the jelly zone and one away.

Number two rolling.

Number two is airborne, number three is rolling, and I'm moving before number four re-heats.

C15-35/15-22 EF-18A Ala 15 EdA.

What a great time that was!

Happy Days, and thanks for looking.

Exercise "Cobra Warrior" (CW2023/1) full photo report on the UKs premier Military Aviation Exercise.

For weeks, the aviation social media sites have been full of what is now firmly the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force's most significant major exercise, and Cobra Warrior (CW23-1) was not going to disappoint.  

Early March saw the participants arriving at RAF Waddington and Connigsby, both in Lincolnshire, and this first stage of the 2023 exercise would feature three new airforces. Five India Mirage 2000s from 40 Wing at Gwalior air base would join Finnish Air Force F/A-18c's Hornets from HavLLv 31 at Kuopio-Rissala. They were joined at Waddington by previous participants, the Belgian Air Force, with six F-16AMs visiting from 10 Wing at Florennes.

The final first-time participants came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, arriving at RAF Conningsby in late February. The RSAF bought six Eurofighter Typhoons from the 10 Wing at Taif/King Fahd Air Base. They were made up of five single-seat Typhoons and a two-seat Typhoon T.

The weather was the usual miserable English: damp, grey, and cold. Yellow, no parking cones lined the local roads. The A-15 crawled with continuous bumper-to-bumper juggernauts, and while the Wave cafe and parking swelled daily to beyond bursting, the fast jet action made it all well worth the visit.

So here it is.

 The weather was very mixed on all the days I attended.

  

KT208 Mirage 2000TI of the Indian Air Force from 40 Wing at Gwalior/Maharajpur Airbase. 

KT211 Mirage 2000TI following KT208 for take-off on Waddingtons runway 03.

You cannot beat a Mirage 2000TI taking off, especially when they are Indian Air Force machines.

HN422/22 F/A-18C of the Finnish Air Force, one of the six participating from HävLLv 31 at Kuopio-Rissala Airbase.

HN424/24 F/A-18C HävLLv 31 with sqadron marks.

 

KF112 Mirage 2000I taxis to 03.

KF118 Mirage 2000I of 40 Wing "Bharatiya Vayu Sena" Indian Air Force.

Indian Air Force Mirage 2000I Rolling on runway 03.

FA-77 F-16AM, BAF. from Florennes Airbase.

FA-116 F-16AM BAF with its two-sided 80th-anniversary scheme.

KT211 makes a low pass as it escorts KT208 for an emergency landing.

KT208 prepares for an emergency landing after declaring a technical issue. After a visual check, the emergency services were stood down.

KT211 Mirage 2000TI picks up some beautiful light against a very grey sky.

KT211 makes some low and fast passes as it awaits permission to land following KT208's technical issue.

KT211 Mirage 2000TI taxing in after the runway is changed to 21.

FA-116 F-16AM BAF shows its artwork from the opposite side.

FA-136 F-16AM "The X Tiger" wears another dramatic colour scheme to mark 70 years of the Belgium Airforce 31Squadron and 60 years of the NATO Tiger.  

KF211 Mirage 2000I Indian Airforce.

KF118 Mirage 2000I "Bharatiya Vayu Sena" Indian Air Force.

HN424/24, HN406/06, and HN422/22 are on the break for landing runway 21 at RAF Waddington.

FA-134 F-16AM BAF.

By the afternoon, sortie, the weather is not playing ball.

In fact, it was like a nighttime sky.

ZZ419 Shadow R1+ 14 Sqn RAF. Another day and better weather.

Early morning entertainment at RAF Waddington.

Two Royal Saudi Airforce Typhoon F.2 arrived at RAF Waddington from RAF Coningsby.

1019 Typhoon F.2 Royal Saudi Airforce. 

8019 Typhoon F.2 Royal Saudi Airforce lands at RAF Waddington.

Meanwhile, across at RAF Coningsby, it's swift-moving.

ZK318/318 Typhoon FGR.4 RAF.

ZK432/432 Typhoon FGR.4, 6 Sqn. RAF.

ZK432/432 Typhoon FGR.4, 6 Sqn. RAF.

1019 Typhoon 10 Sqn Royal Saudi Airforce from  10 Wing at Taif/King Fahd.

Happy Days?

316 Typhoon F.2 3 Sqn RSAF.

8018 Typhoon F.2 80Sqn RSAF.

ZK342/342 Typhoon FGR.4 29(R) Sqn and ZK432/432 Typhoon FGR.4 6 Sqn lead Typhoon T.3 ZK382?382 on the break for landing back at RAF Coningsby.

ZK368/368 Typhoon FGR.4 29(R) Sqn.

Royal Saudi Airforce Typhoons in the break for landing back at RAF Coningsby.

8019 Typhoon F.2 80 Sqn RSAF.

8018 Typhoon F.2 80 Sqn RSAF.

 

316 Typhoon F.2 3 Sqn RSAF.

1019 Typhoon F.2 10 Sqn RSAF.

8019 Typhoon F.2 RSAF. Overshoots due to runway congestion.

8019 Typhoon F.2 80 Sqn RSAF.

ZJ937/937 Typhoon FGR.4 29(R) Sqn RAF.

ZK433/433 Typhoon FGR.4 41(R) TES.

ZK318/318 Typhoon FGR4.RAF departs RAF Coningsby as we do.

Happy Days!