Air operations
Air Operations
Air Component Commander was Commander Air Forces Southern Europe (COMAIRSOUTH) — then Lt. Gen. Michael C. Short.
Air assets from Operation Deny Flight were transferred to IFOR in Operation Decisive Endeavor on December 20, 1995. On December 21, 1996, those assets were transferred to SFOR Operation Deliberate Guard.
Number of days since start of IFOR (Operation Decisive Endeavour): 905
| Operation Deliberate Guard - Missions flown | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mission type | 20Dec95- 20Dec96 | 21Dec96- 11Jun98 |
| CAP/CAS over Bosnia-Herzegowina | 17,290 | 14,497 |
| Other | 32,937 | 33,273 |
| Total | 50,227 | 47,770 |
| RNLAF participation - June 1997 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operation | Period | Flight hrs | |
| Deny Flight | Apr 7, 1993 | Dec 19, 1995 | 21,489 |
| Decisive Endeavour | Dec 20, 1995 | Dec 20, 1996 | 4,383 |
| Deliberate Guard/Forge | Dec 21, 1996 | Jun 11, 1998 | 959 |
Almost 5,500 personnel from 13 NATO countries — Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States were deployed as part of the SFOR air component.
Iceland, which does not own armed forces, participated with non-military means to show solidarity.
NATO aircraft were available at air bases in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom and on carriers in the Adriatic.
[Photo: Defensiekrant]
RNLAF KDC-10
| Operation Deliberate Guard - Air Power | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Location | Aircraft | Function | # |
| Belgium | Villafranca, I | F-16A | Fighter/Gr.Attack | 3 |
| France | Istrana, I | Jaguar | Recce | 3 |
| Istrana, I | Jaguar | Fighter/Bomber | 8 | |
| Cervia, I | Mirage 2000D | Ground attack | 2 | |
| Cervia, I | Mirage 2000C | Fighter | 8 | |
| Istres, F | KC-135 | Refuelling | 1 | |
| Avord, F | E-3F | AEW | 1 | |
| Serajevo, B-H | C-262 | Transport | 1 | |
| Germany | Piacenza, I | Tornado ECR | Electronic Warfare | 8 |
| Piacenza, I | Tornado | Recce | 6 | |
| Landsberg, D | C-160 | Transport/MedEvac | 2 | |
| Greece | Rimini, I | C-130 | Transport | 1 |
| Italy | Cioia de Colle, I | Tornado | Fighter/Bomber | 6 |
| Villafranca, I | AMX | Recce/FBA | 8 | |
| Patrica di Mare, I | B-707 | Refuelling | 1 | |
| Netherlands | Villafranca, I | F-16A | Fighter/Gr.Attack | 6 |
| Villafranca, I | F-16A/R | Recce | 3 | |
| Rimini, I | C-130 | Transport | 1 | |
| Eindhoven, NL | F-60 | Transport | 1 | |
| Eindhoven, NL | KDC-10 | Refuelling | 1 | |
| Spain | Aviano, I | EF-18 | Fighter/Gr.Attack | 8 |
| DMMA Vicenza, I | CASA 212 | Transport | 1 | |
| Aviano, I | KC-130 | Refuelling | 2 | |
| Turkey | Ghedi, I | F-16C | Fighter | 18 |
| United Kingdom | UK | Jaguar GR-1B | Ground Attack | 2 |
| Jaguar | Fighter/Gr.Attack | 10 | ||
| Jaguar | Recce | 2 | ||
| Palermo, I | L-1011 | Refuelling | 2 | |
| Aviano, I | E-3D | AEW | 2 | |
| United States | Aviano, I | F-16C | Fighter/Gr.Attack | 6 |
| Aviano, I | EC-130 | ABCCC | 3 | |
| Brindisi, I | AC-130 | Gunship | 1 | |
| Aviano, I | EA-6B | EW | 3 | |
| Pisa, I / Istres, F | KC-135 | Refuelling | 5 | |
| Brindisi, I | MH-53J | SAR | 2 | |
| Brindisi, I | MC-130P | SAR | 1 | |
| Sarajevo/Stuttgart | C-12 | Support | 4 | |
| NATO | See note | E-3A | AEW | 4 |
Note:
- The French E-3F aircraft and the NATO AEW E-3A and E-3D components operated from Geilenkirchen (Germany), Preveza (Italy), and Trapani (Italy). The NATO E-3A component is operated by multi-national crews provided by 11 NATO countries.
- The USMC F/A-18 aircraft at Aviano were relieved by Canadian CF-188 aircraft of 416 Squadron. The CAF arrived at August 14, 1997 and remained present until November 23, 1997.
- The USAF A-10 aircraft were later removed from Aviano.
- The US EA-6Bs from VMAQ-3 were not relieved in August 1997 and remained present until June 1998.
- The USAF sent 6 more F-16s to Aviano in order to maintain an airwatch during the elections of September 13-14.
- The US tanker detachment at Istres (France) was discontinued at a later stage.