NATO
Allied Air Command
June 15, 2022

NATO Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem controls largest BALTOPS air play

From June 5 to 17, fourteen NATO Allies and Partners Finland and Sweden are participating in the multinational maritime-focused annual exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS). NATO’s Northern Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) staff ensure control of participating aircraft.

“CAOC Uedem has been assigned the lead in planning, coordinating, controlling and monitoring the air operations integrated into the BALTOPS exercise enabling realistic multi-domain training of approximately 7,000 personnel from NATO Allies and Partner nations,” said Colonel Wilhelm May, the Exercise Air Director at the CAOC, who also oversaw the air play during the 50th edition of BALTOPS in 2021.

“This year, we are controlling the ‘air-heaviest’ BALTOPS scenario in the history of the exercise, with a total of more than 75 Allied and Partner aircraft operating from sea-based and land-based platforms. We are planning over 400 sorties which more than doubles our sorties from last year,” said Colonel May. “The missions we are controlling cover the whole spectrum from air-maritime, air-air and air-to-ground to anti-submarine, air-to-air refuelling and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drills. We have up to 40 aircraft airborne in one 3-hour serial,” he added underlining the complexity of his team’s task.

The growth in aircraft sorties is also facilitated by the fact that – for the second time – BALTOPS integrates the German-led Multinational Air Group Days (MAGDAYs) generating additional sorties in support of the joint maritime-led training drills. Fighter jets from Germany, Belgium, Turkey, the United States and Partners Finland and Sweden as well as NATO E-3A and tanker aircraft are involved in this training event within the NATO concept of the Multinational Air Group for which German is a framework nation.