A Royal Air Force detachment has returned from a busy deployment to Estonia, during which it intercepted 10 Russian aircraft in a single mission, according to a RAF news release. The detachment of four Typhoon fighters spent four months doing the Baltic air policing mission before the 121 Expeditionary Air Wing handed the mission over to Germany’s 31st Tactical Air Wing on Aug. 25. The Typhoons were scrambled 17 times and intercepted more than 40 Russian aircraft during the deployment, including fighters, bombers, and surveillance aircraft, according to the RAF. The commander of 6 Squadron, Wing Commander Jim Walls, said he was proud of everything the unit accomplished. “We deployed only one month after returning from exercise in North America and have flawlessly delivered expeditionary air power in the Baltic,” he said. “Now, as ever, whatever the next challenge may be, we are ready.”
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.