last update: 22-07-2010

update area: Goose Bay album

Goose Bay is the designated NATO low and lowest flying area in Labrador, Canada. A few years ago Germay cancelled its low flying training and withdrew from Labrador.

The pictures of this album were made during one of the last turns and will give you a little impression of the flying events as well of the pasttime action of one of the most beautiful and effective trainings in NATO.

The corner data for the exercise ELITE 2010 are officially published :

Time range 17.06.-01.07.2010
Aircraft Deployment: klick
Spotterdays : Heuberg 22.06., Lechfeld 24.06.; accreditation form pdf doc , important info for accreditation on luftwaffe.de

Many of you will ask yourself the question: "what the heck is a high value asset like our Tiger Baby doing during a high value exercise like ELITE?". Here is the solution: Tiger Baby was enroute with a secret mission which was so secret that we were not able to talk earlier about it.

Although Baby flew already on such illustrious airplanes like F-117 or B1-B, there was one very special mission missing so far in Baby's history: a flight on the proudest bird of military aviation (German NAVY view of things), the Breguet 1150 Atlantique SIGINT. Together with all the forces of the electronic reconnaissance and early warning, with the Lechfeld ECR Tornados and the CRC (controlling and reporting center) Messtetten, during exercise ELITE, it produced an early warning and air situation picture for the attacking forces.

After a thorough saftety check which was finished with status U5 (is allowed to eat and drink coffee on board and use the toilet) it finally became reality. For this operational mission on date 09-07-2008 during exercise ELITE an official company request could be turned in. The "German Navy Flooding Commando" allowed the participation in the mission on hightest level possible. After some minor confusion because of the funny access to the airplane at the back, Baby started right away to manage routine tasks on board.

After a superb lunch on board Baby piloted German Force's largest fighter airplane (haha) back to Lechfeld. Some approach patterns later Baby was able to recognize and identify his squadron from the air and landed after 5:10 hours of flying time safely at its home station. After filling in the neccessary data in its personal flying logbook Baby posed together with the crew for a final picture. This flight constitutes - after Baby's entry into the Guinness Book of Records in 2001 - an absolute highlight in his life.

Tiger Baby is back from Overberg, South Afrika, where he participated together with the FBW 32 jets in the exercise 'Good Hope 2008'. HARRY our designated top-tiger-tamer documented the whole journey and the exercise in a web blog which he had set up prior departure. Read this most interresting story (in German language only) and please, if you understand a bit, add a comment to it!
----> Join the Blog <----

Starting July 3rd until July 17th 2008, ELITE, the biggest European Electronic Warfare exercise will take place at Heuberg Range in Southern Germany. Forces from overall 19 nations will train the electronic fight between flying forces and ground based air defense. NATO will support with E-3A AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System).

We will support you in our ELITE section with all kinds of information which might be interresting for all of you, whether you are a professional media representavie or an interrested spectator.

Go to ELITE 2008 page.

Unfortunately was the webmaster this year not able to present more interresting information about the exercise and from behind the curtain. Sorry for that! Perhaps next time (2007).