off later in the exercise, with a single Sukhoi eventually flying low and fast through the valleys, delivering some of the most striking visuals of the week. The HAF assets remain at the centre of proceedings. Greek F-16s formed a large part of the exercise, joined by Mirage 2000- 5s and the increasingly prominent, multirole Rafale force. And then there are the Phantoms … What stars they are. The Greek F-4E Phantom II AUP fleet may be living on borrowed time, but their continued operation remains a major draw. Concentrated in a single squadron at Andravida, these aircraft are flown with pride and purpose, and seeing them integrated into a modern multinational exercise is a reminder of how adaptable the platform has been across decades of service. Other participants added further depth and interest. The perhaps familiar sights of Italian Tornados, USAF F-16Cs( albeit from a super cool ANG unit!), Polish F-16Cs and Spanish EF- 18s were joined by rare machines in the form of
Indian Su-30MKI‘ Flankers’, Qatari F-15QAs and UAE AF Mirage 2000-9s. Not every participant flew in the canyon, and frustratingly not every aircraft appeared on the Spotters Day( and some only against the very strong Mediterranean light), but collectively they portrayed a picture of contemporary coalition air power.
Why Iniochos matters
So whilst we can revel in the nostalgia of Phantoms, the rarities of the participants and the access around the event, it’ s still important to realise the relevance of the exercise itself. It is built around the realities of modern air warfare and is world class in its execution. Multi-domain operations, electronic warfare, data sharing, coalition command structures and real-world geography are all central to its design. For the HAF, it reinforces Greece’ s role as a credible regional partner and host nation. For visiting air arms, it offers training that cannot be replicated on home ranges. And for us photographers, it remains one of the few exercises where access, terrain and operational flying still combine for our photographic action! © Rich Cooper( words and images)
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