‘VOLFA 2024’: The Greek Rafale in the ‘fight’ of France – Exercise, allies and opponents

Four Greek fighter aircraft participate in the “VOLFA 2024”. The major multinational exercise, in which three single-seater Rafale and a two-seat, is organized by the French Air Force (Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace). The main “menu” includes continuous day and night flights in a number of scenarios, which organizers have this year enriched with the participation of new weapons systems such as the anti-aircraft SAMP/T and the US-built UAV MQ-9 Reaper, now available in its arsenal and the French Air Force. The Greek flyingmen who returned to the first exercise of Rafale outside FIR Athens at the familiar 118 Air Force Base in Mont de Marsan, where they were initiated in the secrets of Rafale, enter the “deep” as easy scenarios in “VOLFA 2024” do not exist. And in some of them they will also have a leading role as the French staff who designed the exercise and great respect for the Greek Air Force and Greek airmen and have already been informed that the “olds” of the 332 War Squadron are very high operational level. Thus, in the following days, very harsh “fights” are expected to take place between the Greek Rafale and the French Rafale and Mirage fighters and Spanish F/A-18, which also participate in the “VOLFA 2024”. Emphasis will be given beyond air to air scenarios and even more complex missions with the powerful, state-of-the-art anti-air system of the SAMP/T type having a dominant role in air defence, which has already been tested with particular effectiveness in the Ukraine war. In particular, the “MAMBA”, as the French call it, is an anti-aircraft – anti-ballistic tactical missile system for the protection of strategic targets such as airports and other facilities, with the possibility of trapping and destroying targets even at distances of 600 km. The Greek Rafale will have the opportunity for the first time to see their potential against such a modern anti-aircraft system, when they will have to face the fighters to protect it. Another unknown scenario for Greek flying will be to cooperate in common impact scenarios with the powerful armed unmanned MQ-9 aircraft, which take on more and more missions in the modern field of operations. Participation in the advanced exercise “VOLFA 2024” comes for the “olds” of the Greek Air Force at an ideal timing, as after two years of hard training in newly acquired Rafale, they will be invited to show the level at which they have reached the level at which they have reached the flighters flying the “drops” since their first construction. After all, the French Rafale have in their “folders” weapons and systems which our Air Force has not yet acquired. “VOLFA 2024” includes 1,000 executives from six countries (France, Greece, Italy, Britain, Spain and Canada), aviators, ground technicians, air defense systems personnel and special operations units that will use either helicopters or transport aircraft in parachute shooting scenarios. In addition, flying tankers will also take part in the exercise, which will give Greek flyers the possibility of air refueling, as the Greek Air Force does not have such an aircraft. By Kostas Sarika / Onalert