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Iniochos 2024
Karo-Aviation
visit Andravida airbase for Iniochos 2024
Article and pictures by Ronald de Roij
ANDRAVIDA, Greece -
Allied Air Forces along with regional partners came together at
Andravida Air Base as Greece hosted the international live-fly Exercise
Iniochos 2024, from April 8 to 18, 2024.
Exercise Iniochos 2024 provided a unique opportunity for participants to
fly complex missions, specifically designed to enhance interoperability
and increase combat readiness. The exercise scenarios range the full
spectrum of air operations and the use of the F-16 Tactical Simulators
further enhance the training objectives.
The Hellenic Air Force Fighter Weapons School supervised all air
operations during Iniochos 2024 including Air Power Contribution to
Counter-Land and Maritime Operations and Combat Search and Rescue.
Participating Nations worked together to plan, execute, and debrief
missions; additionally the F-16 Tactical Simulators of the newly
established Hellenic Air Force Synthetic Training Squadron where used for a number
of missions, expanding Iniochos to the virtual world.
Arguably one off the most eagerly awaited visitors, a Rafale
from Al Adiyat of the Qatar Emiri air force.
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History of the Exercise
The annual live-fly training exercise started as a national air exercise
at the tactical level in the late 1980s as an annual Hellenic Air Force small-scale tactical-level exercise.
The exercise objective was to train personnel in planning and execution
of Combined Air Operations in accordance with the
Hellenic Air Force
Doctrine
and National Plans in a realistic environment, in order to test and
evaluate operational plans and tactics.
From the start the exercise was under the guidance of the Hellenic
Fighter Weapons School. For the first exercises it was deployed to Larissa
as the White Cell operating out of
the facilities of the National Centre for Air Operations.
The White Cell was responsible for the optimal coordination and planning
of the operations. The other units participating in the exercise were also deployed to
Larissa, at 110CW, from where they launched for their missions.
In 2005, the Exercise was decentralized, thus the participating
aircraft were operating from their home bases, while the White Cell,
the planning and the coordination was taking place in the Air Tactics
Centre and the Fighter Weapons School facilities, in Andravida Air Force
Base, implementing newly acquired means of Command and Control.
In November 2013, the decision was made to adopt a Single Base Concept,
upgrading the exercise scale to medium and expanding the spectrum of
operations with the objective to create a more realistic and demanding
environment, with an intensive and prolonged 24/7 battle rhythm,
significantly increasing the level of training.
In April 2015, the exercise was held for the first time in the form
of a Invitation Exercise, with the participation of the Israeli Air
Force and
the United States Air Force.
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A F-16C of 347 Mira taking
part in the morning mission at Andravida
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Participation
INIOCHOS 2024 involved a large number of
Hellenic Air Force assets, such as fighters,
including Rafale and F-16 Viper, Air Defence Systems, helicopters,
transport and training aircraft.
Additionally, Hellenic Army, Navy and Special Operations assets and
personnel contributed significantly to the creation of complex and
realistic scenarios across the exercise areas which spread over the
Greek mainland and seas.
The invited nations that participated in Iniochos 2024 included:
Cyprus with an AW139 Helicopter
France with Rafales and E-3F
Montenegro with an B-412 Helicopter
Qatar with Rafales
Romania with F-16s
Saudi Arabia with Eurofighters
Spain with EF-18s
Additionally, Austria and Portugal participated with INTEL personnel and
Special Forces while Germany participated with a group of Observers.
New and upgraded
aircraft add more muscle to the Hellenic Air Force
The Hellenic Air Force will acquire more state-of-the-art aircraft by
2030, gradually removing from operation third- and fourth-generation
combat aircraft such as the F-4 and Mirage 2000 and block 30 F-16.
Next to the procurement of new aircraft an update program is under way for
the F-16 fleet in which a total of 84 aircraft will be upgraded to the
Viper configuration by 2027 in an cooperation between Lockheed Martin and
Hellenic Aerospace Industry. The Viper configuration offers new
and enhanced safety, networking and sensor capabilities.
As a replacement for the aging Mirage 2000 fleet Greece signed an
agreement with French aerospace Dassault Aviation to purchase
eighteen
Rafales in January 2021. This agreement was supplemented with an
additional
deal for six additional aircraft, bringing the total number to 24 with
delivery being completed in 2025.
Finely the US State Department has approved a foreign military sales
(FMS) request from the Greek government to purchase forty F-35A Lightning IIs and relevant equipment.
In essence, Hellenic Air Force modernization is catching pace like never
before.
still going strong after more
than fifty years
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