2017 06 08 Tigermeet

French Naval base Landivisiau was host of the 2017 edition of the NATO Tiger meet. From 5 till 16 June 2017, 11th Flottille -operating the Rafale jet fighter- organized this exercise for NATO squadrons with a tiger in their emblem. Goal of the meet is to train pilots during complex missions to establish interoperability between the participating nations. 

This year, the meet was organized for the 53rd time. The NATO Tiger Association was established in 1961. Its role is to promote solidarity between NATO countries. That is why socializing is also an important ingredient of the Tiger meet. Usually the units try to impress the other tiger units with a plane painted in an exotic tiger scheme. Although budget cuts make it harder to realize this custom nowadays, some units presented this year aircraft in larger or smaller tiger outfits. During the two-week time frame of the meet, 800 missions were flown, with a total of about 1.200 flying hours.

Participants
French Navy  Flotille 11F  Rafale M 
Swiss Air Force  Staffel 11  F/A-18C/D Hornet
Austrian Air Force  1 JTS  Saab 105Öe
Italian Air Force  XII Gruppo  EF2000 Typhoon
Italian Air Force  21° Gruppo  AB-212ICO
French Air Force  ECE 01/30  Rafale C/B
French Air Force  EC 3/30  Rafale C/B
Belgian Air Force  31 Squadron  F-16AM/BM 
Czech Air Force  211 TL  JAS-39C/D Gripen
Dutch Air Force  313 Squadron  F-16AM/BM 
Royal Air Force  230 Squadron  Puma HC Mk2
Royal Navy  814 Squadron  Merlin HM. MK2
French Army  EHRA 3  SA 342 M Gazelle
NATO  1st Squadron  E-3A Sentry, flying from MOB

External Participants
French Navy  Flottille 4F  E-2CHawkeye 
French Army  5 RHC  EC665 Tigre HAP
Royal Navy  849 Squadron  Sea King ASaC Mk7 

Observers 
Polish Air Force  6 ELT   
Greece Air Force  335 Mira    

Visitors
Royal Norwegian Air Force  338 Skv  F-16AM/BM 
German Air Force  TaktLwG 51  Tornado ECR & IDS
German Air Force  TaktLwG 74  EF2000 Typhoon
Czech Air Force  221 LtBVr  Mil Mi-24 Hind

Tiger Trophy Winners
Silver Tiger Trophy 31 Squadron Belgian Air Force
Best Flying Unit 31 Squadron Belgian Air Force
Best Painted Tiger Aircraft Flottille 11F French Navy
Best Looking Uniform 31 Squadron Belgian Air Force
Tiger Games ECE 01/30 French Air Force
Best Skit 230 Squadron Royal Air Force

2018 11 03 Spottersday exercise Trident Juncture

Trident Juncture 18, abbreviated TRJE18, is a NATO-led military exercise held in Norway in October and November 2018. The exercise will be the largest of its kind in Norway since the 1980s. An expected 50,000 participants from 31 nations will take part, including 10,000 vehicles, 250 aircraft and 65 vessels. The exercise will mainly take place in central and eastern parts of Norway, and air and sea areas in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The stated goal of Trident Juncture is to train the NATO Response Force and to test the alliance's defence capability. According to the Norwegian Armed Forces, the exercise will test the country's ability to receive and handle allied support.
Trident Juncture 18 consists of three main parts: a phase of deployment lasting from August to October, a live field exercise from 25 October to 7 November and a command post exercise from 13 to 24 November 2018.
The deployment started in August 2018, with personnel, equipment and military materiel arriving at 27 different points in Norway. From these arrival points, the materiel will be transported to the training areas by rail and road. An estimated total of 180 flights and 60 ship loads will transport all the exercise equipment to Norway. A total of 50 camps will be established in and around the exercise area. Half of these will have room for more than 500 people, the largest being able to house 5,500 people.
During the field exercise (LIVEX) from 25 October to 7 November the participants will start their training according to a scripted scenario. The land battle will take place in the area south of Trondheim and north of Rena Camp in Hedmark County. There will also be sea activity along the Norwegian coastline, the North Sea and limited areas in the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak. There will be air activity in the airspace over Norway, Sweden and Finland.
The command post exercise (CPX) lasts from 14 to 23 November 2018 at NATO's Joint Warfare Centre in Stavanger, Norway. This is a data simulated desk exercise to train the headquarters. This exercise is also a certification test for Allied Joint Force Command Naples.