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A team from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen supported the Ocean Sky exercise, hosted by Spain, October 15-29, in the Canary Islands. Ocean Sky 2021 is a multinational exercise which includes multiple scenarios allowing participating units to improve their skills in different roles.

There are many roles during the exercise and for the E-3A AWACS, they flew three sorties while providing air command and control by delivering airspace surveillance and early detection of airborne threats. The training also enabled interoperability with different nations who participated.

"The exercise is important for us in order to train and exercise to a maximum extent to keep our level of training and experience at a high level," said Lieutenant Colonel (OF-4) Peter Leufen, Aircrew Training Squadron Deployment Commander.

By supporting this exercise, the NATO E-3A AWACS aided with the Air Forces from France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain, to maintain and ensure units were adequately trained and ready to be transferred to the operational structure of their Armed Forces whenever activated for real operations. The exercise allowed for a specialized and realistic various types of missions that would be associated with their capabilities.

Ocean Sky was an opportunity for the E-3A Component as well, to warrant a training that would help focus on advanced air to air combat based on multi-domain operations in a high intensity setting.

An E-3A AWACS is prepared during the Ocean Sky 2021 exercise in the Canary Islands. Ocean Sky 2021 is a multinational exercise which includes multiple scenarios allowing participating units to improve their skills in different roles.