Operation Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector

480 FS: 342, 360, 351, 352, 361, 366, 403, 407, 416, 818, 828 all seen in Aviano this week

F-16s of the Royal Norwegian Airforce at the Souda Bay Base in Greece:

Thanks for great pics, norcon16.

Is it public, if the deployed RNoAF F-16s are equipped with the recently acquired MILDS-F MWS Terma pylon? I was thinking it might be too early for full integration and from the photo, it appears to show an older Terma pylon kit. Anyway, another question would be if they are deployed with AIM-9 or IRIS-T? The Sniper ATP + IRIS-T match would seem to command serious respect in any exercise.

I really hope the conflict is over ASAP, for everyone's sake, and can be negotiated to include a solid resolution and for an acceptable process going forward. But respects to RNoAF F-16 crews if they are required to put into NFZ service. It is truly impressive how much military service has been squeezed out of these nor F-16s among others. They deserve a service-investment trophy imho.

The red-orange pod is that a Data Link or a travel pod?

#89-2049

SSgt. Bryan Holloway, 510th AMU avionics craftsman, performs scheduled radar threat warning maintenance on F-16C Block 40 #89-2049 from 510 FS on March 21, 2011, at Aviano AB. The aircraft will deploy in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn. [USAF photo by A1C Katherine Windish]

geogen wrote:Thanks for great pics, norcon16.

Is it public, if the deployed RNoAF F-16s are equipped with the recently acquired MILDS-F MWS Terma pylon? I was thinking it might be too early for full integration and from the photo, it appears to show an older Terma pylon kit. Anyway, another question would be if they are deployed with AIM-9 or IRIS-T? The Sniper ATP + IRIS-T match would seem to command serious respect in any exercise.

I really hope the conflict is over ASAP, for everyone's sake, and can be negotiated to include a solid resolution and for an acceptable process going forward. But respects to RNoAF F-16 crews if they are required to put into NFZ service. It is truly impressive how much military service has been squeezed out of these nor F-16s among others. They deserve a service-investment trophy imho.

I don't really know what kind of arsenal they use on this occation. However I beleave the AIM 9 has been or is about to be replaced by the IRIS-T. The official Norwegian airforce webpage mentioned these weapons as beeing in Norway airforce inventory: (AIM 9 L "Sidewinder", AIM 120 "AMRAAM", Penguin Mk 3, GBU-12, Mark 82 ) Wether they use all these in this conflict is an open question. I don't know how uppdated the official page is.


I reallly wish the airforce would have pulled out the new JSM missile developed in Norway. But it is originally developed for the F35 wich Norway is about to purchase ( Can be used with other aicraft too ), but I am not sure if the the version for fighters are ready and in production yet. ( The navy version is )

NSM / JSF missile:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Strike_Missile



The Norwegian F16 has now been asigned to the US North African branch and the Odyssey Dawn operation. Two of the F16 today took of from the base in Greece for Libya.

Butcher wrote:The red-orange pod is that a Data Link or a travel pod?

Travel pod.

Cheers.

Dutch F16's left this afternoon from Leeuwarden: J-008, 009, 060, 362, 616, 868 to Deci (NAF322/327)
From Eindhoven KDC-10 T-264 NAF65 also to Decimomanu

Accordind to a news tv station a libyan a/c was shot down by L'armee del air.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/war-libya-moammar-gadhafi-warplane-misrata-shot-french/story?id=13210685

A jet was sent over the city of Misrata challenging the NFZ and shot down by french fighter jets, according to the site, the jet was a Galeb.

The Libyan plane was not shot down per se... it was shot on the ground after it landed.

The french have been busy last night bombing the airfield near Hun.

aveng3r wrote:The Libyan plane was not shot down per se... it was shot on the ground after it landed.

The french have been busy last night bombing the airfield near Hun.

A kill.... it's a kill... (OMG I can already hear the french jokes coming)

Six Dutch F-16s from Leeuwarden AFB landed at Decimomanu in Sardinia at around 18.00h.

A spokesman for the Defence Ministry says they will carry out surveillance, gather intelligence and keep track of air traffic heading towards Libya. "They will not be used to challenge ground targets or targets at sea."

A refueling plane will assist the F-16s.

The F-16s and the minesweeper are being deployed for three months. The refueling plane is only available until 4 April.

The six Dutch jets:

• [serial]J-008[/serial]
  [*][serial]J-009[/serial]
  [*][serial]J-060[/serial]
  [*][serial]J-362[/serial]
  [*][serial]J-616[/serial]
  [*][serial]J-868[/serial]

See: <a href="http://www.f-16.net/news_article4320.html">Dutch contribute six F-16s and a KDC-10 to Odyssey Dawn</a>

RNLAF F-16s leaving for Decimomanu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfIbFnxD ... ture=feedu

Seeing all this countries contributing Vipers really drives home how popular the plane is.

Congrats on the French on the kill. it was trainer but he shouldn't have been up there period to tell you the truth.

The RNoAF is equipped with both the IRIS-T and Sidewinder. Based on the pictures/videoes it looks like one of the jets in the two-ship is equipped with the IRIS while the second is armed with the Sidewinder. Don't know the reason for this, as the IRIS is a much better missile. Snipers are on all the jets, and the red pod is a travel pod, but taken off before combat sorties. For air-to-ground weapons they are using a mixed load of one GBU-38 JDAM and one GBU-12 LGB on each jet, which togheter with the TGP is a nice ag loadout for most applicable scenarios. They are loaded on PIDS and ECIPS on 3 and 7, and the jets are flying with ALQ-131 on station 5.

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/verden/1.7564378