During his two day fact finding, tour he was able to see at first hand the training and integration of the Typhoon force within the Spanish Air Force and discuss in detail the prospect of greater interoperability.

His visit coincided with the arrival of 8 typhoon aircraft and 120 personnel from 3(F) Sqn normally based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire who were deploying to take part in EX Lone Eider – a week long Squadron exchange exercise aimed at conducting air defence tactics and collective training with personnel from the Spanish Air Force.

Speaking from Moron Air Base South East of Seville at the end of his visit, Sir Glen said; “It’s been an enormously successful visit for me. I have had the opportunity to discuss with the General how we must take Typhoon together collectively as four nations.”

He also had much praise for the Spanish approach to synthetic training and stressed its importance for the RAF; “The synthetic training was very good and many people will be aware that I think we need to look very seriously at the way we split our live flying and synthetic training. As we look at how we are going to be operating in the future, I think that to get all the resources together, there is going to be a greater emphasis on synthetic training.

Operations were very much at the forefront of both Chief’s minds and the joint working relationship between the two nations drew much praise from General Rancisco Jose Garcia De La Vega. “Its very important, mainly at the level of operations that we are conducting already, and mainly due to the big experience that the UK and the RAF have got from the programme.”

His UK counterpart was equally upbeat about the progress to date and the special relationship with the Spanish. “I think it can only get stronger,” said Sir Glen. “Clearly operating the same aircraft there are many many lessons to be learnt from that, but also our operational linkages with both of us operating in Afghanistan there are many lessons to be learnt from that as well so I can only see this getting deeper and stronger.”

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