Astral Knight Exercises Conclude
For nearly two weeks Polish airspace was filled with American, British, and Polish combat and support aircraft. Over 50 planes such as F-35, F-16, F-15, and Eurofighter Typhoon participated in mock interceptions and combat training simulations. The exercise was organized by the 183rd Air Operations Group (AOG) of the US Air Force and the Polish Center of Air Operations aimed at testing the joint capabilities of NATO air forces.
Astral Knight assumes the integration of multinational forces and IAMD (Integrated Air-and-Missile Defence) assets with the simultaneous implementation of the exercise in the form of FTX (Field Training Exercise) and LVC (Live Virtual Constructive). The core of the Astral Knight exercises is testing the interoperability of forces and solutions created by the USAF concerning air command, control, and domination.
The multinational character of the Astral Knight included a visit of the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoons temporary rebasing at the 31st Tactical Air Base in Krzesiny, a home for the Polish F-16 squadrons. Their visit was previously declared by the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, during his visit to Poland this year. On the other hand, the US Air Force operated from the Powidz Air Base and other USAF bases in Europe.
As the ongoing War in Ukraine has shown, air attacks with the use of ballistic missiles and drones pose a critical threat to infrastructure and civilians. The necessity to develop unified procedures and strategies is a must for NATO to respond to these threats with carefully prepared solutions. Astral Knight has proven the multinational interoperability and capabilities for multilevel cooperation regarding the air domain by the alliance in Western Europe.
Cover picture by sierż. Rafal Samluk Combat Camera Poland, courtesy of Polish Operations Command.