Some could have watched the scene. Algerian and Tunisian fighters pursued and intercepted a French army supply tanker that was dangerously approaching the airspace of the two North African countries. But fortunately the scene was not seen by ordinary citizens, otherwise panic would have gripped the entire southern shore of the Mediterranean. And for good reason, as it was just a joint exercise that took place in the Mediterranean skies this week.
In fact, this week fighter aircraft from the Algerian and Tunisian armies trained to intercept and identify an enemy aircraft, the role of which was played by an aircraft from the Aerospace Forces (France). The exercise is called Circaète, named after a famous bird of prey, and involves a French Army Airbus DS A330 MRTT Phénix tanker aircraft playing the role of the villain.
It is important to note that this military air exercise is part of a comprehensive aviation security plan called “5+5 Defense.” And the latter, in turn, falls within the framework of the 5+5 Mediterranean Organization, which brings together ten countries west of the Mediterranean, five Europeans and five Africans. The almost chaotic situation in Libya did not allow that country to participate in this exercise and only Italy and Spain were able to participate through the Aeronautica Militare and the Ejercito del Aire y del Espacio.
Useful military exercise for all participating armies
While the three European armies (France, Italy and Spain) are used to training together within NATO, this is not the case for the Algerian and Tunisian forces. This time that wasn’t the case and the Algerians and Tunisians were involved. The Airbus A330 MRTT Phénix was intercepted by a patrol of the Algerian Army’s Sukhoï Su-30MKA Flanker-C and Tunisian Army aircraft, a single-seat Northrop F-5E Tiger II and a two-seat F-5E operational transformation aircraft. A very useful exercise, especially since the French Army’s Airbus is a model widely used worldwide and is therefore likely to be encountered in real operations.
It must be said that this military exercise, in which five countries from the Western Mediterranean took part (Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, France, Spain), will allow the pilots and other crews of the participating aircraft to “feed” each other, in particular with important feedback to get to know the different listening procedures. Different procedures for the Algerian and Tunisian military, but the procedure is the same for the three European armed countries that are members of NATO.
