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Dogfighting and Air-to-Air Refuelling: Gripen users exercise Lion Effort takes off at Čáslav AFB

Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

9.5.2024
Author: by Captain Hana Havrdová

From May 9-27, 2024, the Czech Air Force 21st Tactical Air Force Base Čáslav hosts multinational exercise Lion Effort 2024 (LE24), which trains approximately 500 service personnel, of whom about 150 are international participants.

Lion Effort is the fifth iteration of an air exercise for countries operating the JAS-39 Gripen aircraft, also known as the Gripen Users Group (GUG). In 2009, the exercise took place in Hungary, the second issue was hosted by the Kingdom of Sweden in 2012, the third edition was held in the Czech Republic in 2015, and the fourth in the series again in Hungary in 2018. In 2021, the exercise was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

LE24 brings together Gripen the Czech, Hungarian and Swedish Air Forces with their Gripen fighters while Thailand is joining without air assets. The Czech Air Force also drills with L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft and C-295 CASA, while German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons, Polish Air Force F-16s and an A-330MRTT tanker operate in concert from their home stations. In order to add complexity to the scenarios, the Czech Air Force activates the Air National Command Centre (ANCC), plus the Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) from the 22nd Helicopter Air Force Base Náměšť are joining in, and the 25th Air Defence Missile Regiment home based at Strakonice contributes the SURN system to complement the ground based air defence post. The whole tactical control is the responsibility of the Czech Control and Reporting Centre (CRC).

Organised from May 14-23, 2024, the exercise flight program is divided into two main blocks. Mornings are dedicated to complex missions with coordination of all trainees as part of Composite Air Operations (COMAO) involving various types of aircraft, possibly supported by ground forces, to achieve the required military effect. The afternoons include shadow wave missions with emphasis on dogfighting and close air support. Aircrews in roughly two dozen aircraft train advanced air combat, including air-to-air refuelling, and practise their interoperability.

"This year, Lion Effort is unique in several aspects. First, Swedish Air Force participates as a full-fledged NATO member. Second, it is the exercise's complexity, because the Czech Air Force integrated exercise Lion Effort and annual exercise Ramstein Guard, which is one of the pinnacle training events for the NATO air power community with specific focus on electronic warfare training and jamming," said Colonel Michal Kudyn from the Czech Air Force Command.

In week one, the aircrews training as part of exercise Ramstein Guard practise operations in electronically contested environment with jamming of the aircraft radars, radio connectivity and the GPS. This part of the exercise employs a contracted Draken Europe FA-20 aircraft in the jamming role, as well as further experts from the Military Technology Faculty of the Czech Defence University, experts in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) from the Czech Geospatial and Hydrometeorological Agency and specialist of the 53rd Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare Regiment based in Opava.

"The Gripens are playing the key role in this exercise as they are involved both in the scenarios honing advanced air combat tactics including in jammed environments, and in air to ground missions to provide Close Air Support (CAS) with the use of Litening 4i targeting and surveillance pods. This shows the capabilities of the JAS-39 Gripen, which the Czech Air Force intends to rely on in the next ten years," Colonel Kudyn added.