Cope Tiger takes flight

  • Published
  • By Capt. Renee Lee
  • Cope Tiger Public Affairs
KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR BASE, Thailand (AFPN) --  Aircrews from the Air Force, Marines, Royal Thai air force and the Republic of Singapore air force began launching sorties in support of Exercise Cope Tiger 2008 Jan. 27 here.

More than 1,400 people Air Force, Marines, Royal Thai army and air force, and the Royal Singapore air force are participating in Cope Tiger.

The exercise, which runs through Feb. 5, conducts a wide spectrum of large force employment air operations in a multilateral environment. The coalition pilots and aircrew launched all aircraft participating in the exercise from Korat and Udon Royal Thai air bases allowing them to become familiar with the local airspace, flying procedures and tactics.

From Korat Royal Air Base, aircraft include the E-3 Sentry, Marine Corps KC-130s, F/A-18 Hornets, Royal Thai air force F-5s and F-16s, Royal Singapore air force CH-47s, F-16s and F-5s. Based at Udon Royal Air Base for the exercise are Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs, C-130 Hercules aircraft and KC-135 Stratotankers are based for the exercise.

Pilots and aircrew from the three countries, including each exercise director, met formally for the first time Jan. 26 at an initial mass inbrief, led by Royal Thai air force Group Capt. Tawidanes Angsusingha, the Royal Thai air force exercise director. There the participants shared information about each other's aircraft and capabilities as well as specific airspace procedures for the multilateral exercise, which helps develop multilateral interoperability and coalition procedures in air power missions.

"The exercise is really high-end training," said Royal Singapore air force Col. Anil Sankar, the Royal Singapore air force exercise director. It allows the coalition forces to "know the environment we'll be working in and more importantly, get to know each other, and it gives all the guys a good chance to sharpen their skills."

The exercise is "very good because pilots can work together to help each other, make friends, and establish good relations," said Group Captain Angsusingha. "The U.S. and (Royal Thai air force) have had a relationship for a long time and it should be maintained. We can learn from each other."

Cope Tiger furthers relations with both Singapore and Thailand, said Col. James Horton, the Air Force exercise director and the 13th Air Expeditionary Wing commander here. "We've done this exercise multiple years and it helps us not only to build the working relations with our counterparts but to help us understand their capabilities and for them to understand ours."

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