As well as taking part in composite air missions, the F-39 E Gripen acts as an Opposing Force in the exercise scenario.
One of the main characteristics of Cruzex is its dynamism. The combat aircraft of the participating countries take on the role of both Allied Force and Opposing Force throughout this highly complex exercise. In this type of training, in which the F-39 E Gripen of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) is also present, the fighters carry out Defensive Counter Air (DCA) operations.
In the context of the exercise, DCA is generally carried out by the Opposing Force’s aviation, which, alerted by air defense radars, activates the fighters in readiness, either on the ground or in the air, to react and prevent an attack, blocking the mission of the Allied Force. During these actions, the pilots use simulated tactical systems and available weapons to achieve their objectives.
“At Cruzex, we act on both sides, as the Allied Force and the Opponent. For us, it is essential to train the F-39 E Gripen in a variety of situations, facing aircraft of different nationalities, each with their own technologies and doctrines,” commented Major Vitor Cabral Bombonato, Operations Officer of the FAB’s 1st Air Defense Group.
Once again, the technologies embedded in the F-39 E Gripen, such as tactical systems, self-protection, electronic warfare and simulated weaponry, are key to increasing the level of difficulty of the missions, making it a challenging threat in the training environment.
“We will always fly in mixed formations of fighter planes that will take turns on the side of the simulated conflict throughout the exercise. This means that on one mission, for example, the F-39 E Gripen will fly with the F-5M at its side, but on the next it will fight the F-5M. The same thing happens with other aircraft such as the F-16 and F-15,” concluded Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Lincoln Santos Fórneas, commander of the 1st Air Defense Group (1º GDA).