Cognac BA709 Meeting National Airshow 2022

It was a long wait. The Châteaubernard airbase in Cognac was selected to host the 2020 Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace Meeting National, also known as the National Air Force Airshow. However, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic canceled this event, along with most other major gatherings.

A new date was set for 2021, but another wave of COVID-19 swept the globe, resulting in another cancellation. By 2022, it was uncertain what would happen next.

As dates began to appear on the 2022 airshow calendar, it was finally announced that Cognac would host that year’s National Meeting, which had been postponed for the previous two years.

The last airshow held at Cognac was in 2013. Since then, much has changed. The TB-30 Epsilon training aircraft have been replaced by Pilatus PC-21s, civilian-registered Grob G120As operated by SOCATA/EADS, and AdlA MQ-9A Reaper drones, which are now based at Cognac.

12/709FN PC-21 seen landing back at Cognac.

532/33-EN MQ-9A Reaper ED.02.033 'Savoie'.

94/315-XK TB-30 Epsilon "Petit Prince" special marks are one of two preserved at Cognac; the other is 105/F-SEXV, which is in the colours of the "Cartouche Doré" display team.

650/3-IA Mirage 2000D from EC01.003 at Nancy-Ochey arriving for the static display.

A footnote: After weeks of sunshine, the Friday arrival day was to see overcast and misty conditions.

CE.16-01/11-01 EF2000T Ala 11 EdA. Arriving along with C.16-52/11-52 and C.16-40/11-40, both EF2000s also from Ala 11.

46+44 Tornado ECR TLG51 GAF.

F-AYSB F-86A Sabre marked as 01675/FU-675 ex 01+13.

Sunrise on Saturday morning, clear sky and temperatures reaching a sweltering 36°!

2802/SK EC725R EH01.067 AdlA.

H29 A109BA 1W BAF Special colours.

204 Mi-8MTV from Split/Divulge Barracks Croatia 345 ETH Helicopter transport Eskadrilla.

T.21-05/35-05 C295M 353Esc EdA.

C.16-52/11-52 EF2000 and CE.16-01/11-52 EF2000T on the Flightline.

059 PC-9M.'Wings of Storm's Croatian Air Force display team.

F-ZBME/44 CL415 Securite Civil.

322 M346A 150 Sqn RSiAF. 

1381/ER TBM-940 DGA-EV.

510 and 538 F-16C 343 Mira HAF 'Team Zeus'.

510 F-16C 343 Mira early morning practice flight.

15/709FQ PC-21 with 04/709FF and 05/709FG from tactical demonstration team 'Mustang X Ray'

122/30-GA RafaleC EC03.030 of the Vautour tactical demonstration team from Mont de Marsan.

110/30-IN RafaleC EC03.030 of the Vautour tactical demonstration team from Mont de Marsan.

 Seen landing 0110/F-RBAR A400M ET04.061 Sp/C.

109/115-YH Mirage 2000C EC02.005.

F-AZKM )V-10B marked as 155454/UU-26 USMC ex 99+24.

F-AZXV CM170 marked 479/2-HB.

 

French Air Force Team Mustang X-Ray taxi.

122/30-GA RafaleC EC03.030 Sp/C was seen on Saturday before the Sunday mishap when 110/30-IN clipped its tailplane. Both aircraft from the Vautour team landed safely, although debris dropped from 122/30-GA into a local village damaged a house. Luckily, nobody was injured or worse. 

The cause may have been a wind gust, as a large storm was forecast for Sunday evening, breaking the intense heat of the weekend.

136/4-GO Rafale Solo presentation coming from St Dizier.

2802/SK EC725R from EH01.067 'Pyrénées' from BA 120 at Cazaux.

The EC725R 'Caracal' is used by special forces, as was demonstrated.

PC-9Ms of the Croatian Air Force' Wings of the Storm' practise during Fridays' misty weather.

 

E80 Alpha Jet E DGA-EV leads Monday's departures. The weather had changed to heavy rain overnight, and it had not stopped by the time of the show's departures.

120/115-KC Mirage 2000C from EC02.005.

120/115-KC Mirage 2000C from EC02.005, there were some fascinating, particularly marked aircraft.

109/115-YH Mirage 2000C EC02.005

136/4-GO Rafale C ETR03.004. Solo presentation team special marks.

322 M346A 150Sqn RSiAF Special colours, showing how bad Monday's conditions were. Not to mention how wet I was! 

322 M346A RSiAF close-up of the special marks.

140/4-GS Rafale C ETR03.004 spare aircraft.

146/30-GY Rafale arriving at Cognac Monday morning from Mont de Marsan.

30 Rafale M FN Special colours.

198/XE Jodel D140E  EIVV25.535 'Cordouan'. departing home to BA722 at Saintes/Thénac.

725/UV HK-36TTC also from EIVV25.535 'Cordouan'

510 F-16C 343Mira HAF.

538 F-16C 343Mira HAF.

A farewell wave from 'Mustang X-Ray'

To see the 2004 meeting, press the link below.

https://legendarymilavia.blogspot.com/2021/04/cognac-sunshine-fast-jets-great-colour.html 

 

Swiss Air Force Mirage IIIs and Northrop F-5s visit the ACMI range at RAF Waddington.

The North Sea Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation range (ACMI) opened in August 1990 for one air arm; this was an opportune moment.

The Swiss Air Force had been using the impressive Weapons Training Installation based at Decimomannu on Italy's Island of Sardinia for many years. These exercises were named SAKA (Sardinian Kampagne). This being the only facility outside the United States, it was bustling, as many older enthusiasts will well Know. In fact, it was so popular that NATO complained about the Swiss Air Force being given a yearly time slot when they would deploy with up to eighteen Mirages and Northrop F-5s.

By the late 1980s, NATO's demand for Air Combat Manoeuvring at Decimomannu would prevent future Swiss deployments. The Swiss Air Force quickly booked time on the newly constructed North Sea Air Combat Manoeuvering Instrumentation range (ACMI) or the "Show Ground" for you and me. 

They arrived in the UK on the 16th of November 1990 for the first of twelve annual NORKA (Nordsee Kampagne) exercises. They would operate with F-5E and F-5F in the first instance, and later years saw Mirage IIIS and finally one year with their F/A-18C and Ds. 

From my slide collection, I have included some of these lovely aircraft, notably the F-5E and two-seater F-5Fs, along with the Iconic Mirage 3S, not in any necessary order of appearance. 

J-2308 Mirage IIIS is recovering back at RAF Waddington in the autumnal mist. Today, this aircraft is sadly scrapped.

J-3202/202 Northrop F-5F. Status is now at the Dübendorf Flieger-Flab-Museum.

J-2333 Mirage IIIS. The status is stored in a dismantled state at Sion AB.

J-3063/063 F-5E Flst 1. The status is stored at Sion and now carries both Flst1 and Flst19 marks.

Fliegersaffel 1 from Dübendorf airbase markings are noted on the nose of F-5E J-3063 as it lands at RAF Waddington. 

321/212 F-5F wears the F-5 Tiger badge. Status currently active.

J-2313 Mirage IIIS. Status preserved at Buochs-Ennetbürgen.

J-3040 F-5E. Status sold to the USA. Beyond J-2309, Mirage IIIS today resides in the Österreichisches Luftahrt Museum at Graz-Thalerhof.

J-3204 F5F. Status moved from Meiringen to Emmen in 2019.

J-2322 Mirage IIIS. Sadly, it was scrapped.

J-2303 Mirage IIIS. Today, it hangs by wires from the ceiling of the MMW Militär Museum at Möriken Wildegg in the municipality of Aargau.

J-2327 Mirage IIIS. Its status is scrapped.

J-3025/025 F-5E. Status sold to the USA.

Taxiing at Waddington with Fliegerstaffel 18 marks from Payerne Airbase.

3212 F-5F completing final checks.

J-3212 cleared to line up. The good news here is that it is still active!

J-3202 F-5F is not so lucky, although preserved in the Dübendorf Flieger-Flab Museum.

J-3006 flieerstaffel 18 from Payerne airbase holds for take off at RAF Waddington.

Status sold to the USA.

J-3098 F-5E form 19 fliegerstaffel at Sion airport seen on finals for landing at FAF Waddington.

Fliegerstaffel 19.

Today it is in the Flieger-Flab Museum at Dübendorf, "Pease Alps II"

J-2325 Mirage IIIS finals to land at RAF Waddington. It is seen wearing 16 Fliegerstaffel markings.

Today, it is domiciled in France at the Association of Dassault Aviation at Bordeaux-Merignac airport.

J-3075 F-5E is coming from 13 Fliegerstaffel at Payerne Airbase, having moved from Meiringen Airbase.

It was later sold to the USA.

J-2321 Mirage IIIS. Status scrapped.

J-3211 F-5F landing back at RAF Waddington. Status Active.

J-3053 F-5E was also sold to the USA.

J-3004 F-5E transferred to the US civil register as N64K, belonging to Comanche Maverick Air. 

J-3075 F-5E and J-3208 F-5F depart RAF Waddington.

Status J-3075 was sold to the USA, and J-3208 is stored at Emmen.

If you managed this far, well done?

Thanks for taking the time, and I hope it or a stroll down memory lane may have been interesting.

Happy days!