Exercise: Desert Hawks 2016 [IC|Closed]

[Kobolis]

The Kobolians had entered the room without much fanfare. The most senior officers, which meant the colonel, the two majors and the two captains, moved forward to personally greet the two Riysian generals, while the rest of the 1 FS spread out across the room. A keen observed might've noticed that none of them went alone and always remained in, at least, pairs.

Some of them got into some cautious conversation with the Riysian pilots who had arrived before them, until other nation's participating units arrived, who joined the mix.

[Hutanjia]

The Hutanjians acknowledged the salutations of their Riysian allies with warm smiles and genuine affection from across the room. While the mostly Catholic, tropical dwelling Polynesians had little culturally in common with their hosts, they felt a lot of camraderie with them both politically and generally in the sense that they honored warriors in much the same way and went in to battle without much fanfare or braggadocio. When there was a job to be done and a battle to be won, they set to it in a very serious, organized manner.

While the pilots and support personnel settled in to their block of seats at the guiding of Major Gjatovo, the Hutanjian officers, Colonels Olargu and Sonaga, went over to belatedly exchange greetings with the Riysian officers, but kept it brief as the atmosphere in the room seemed to point towards a getting down to business tension. They were on the mark as the Riysians started to address everyone and introduce the exercise. They noted that they would be on alert status on the first day of the exercise, and they were determined to be up to the task, as a lot of national and service prestige was on the line.

[Riysa]

Having finished reviewing his speech, and confident in his memory, Talal stood up and walked over to the far end of the room, the stage and lectern ready for him. Flanking the lectern at each end of the stage was a flag, one being the Riysian flag and the other being the RiyAAF, and on the wooden stand itself lay a brass plaque of the Air Force seal. Tapping on the microphone once, to check its activity, he then cleared his throat, and begun to speak in accented English.

"Stand to the anthem!" He ordered, with the Riysian pilots standing immediately, knowing what was coming. Over the speakers, the Riysian anthem, Homat al-Diyar ("Guardians of the Homeland"), played. All of the Riysians stood up, rigidly saluting in the direction of Talal. After finishing its two-minute run, they all loosened up and sat back down, while Talal dropped his salute and went back to speaking.

"Masaa' al-khair, peace be upon you all, and welcome to Riysa, for everyone present tonight. I trust that all of your journeys to Riysa were smooth, and I pray that you find your experience here most positive. I am Lieutenant General Talal Rabah, commanding officer of the T14 and T11 training bases, and director of the Desert Hawks series of exercises." He paused for a moment, to let the servers come out and start serving the food and re-filling people's drinks.

"All of you in attendance are here for one reason, and that is to either fight in or observe our exercise. Be it to hone your air combat skills, train your officers for operational-level planning, or learn something applicable to national defense, everyone here desires to take something of value from these next few days. This is the first time that we have opened it up to non-Riysians, but thankfully, I can tell that it has already attracted much interest. Just from looking around the room and having spoke to several people, I can sense all of your excitement and energy, which pleases us greatly."

"Many of you probably have heard the claims, about Desert Hawks being incredibly difficult. Personally, I find it that difficulty is relative to every flyer's skill, but overall, we have tried to keep this exercise as intense and realistic as we can. The opponents here, you will find, will bite, and they bite hard. Do not despair at the thought of defeat though, for this is training - when we train hard, we will fight easy. No matter what the odds, fight by the skin of your teeth, and learn from both your successes and mistakes."

"A note of caution for all - this is not a test of your technology. In Desert Hawks, much like in real life, what matters most is the skill and cunning of the man at the control stick. Technology will only get you so far - it is all up to you to translate your ability into tactical victories, and from those victories, into a grand operational victory over the enemy force. If you rely only on whatever shiny gadget as a crutch, then you'll be in for a painful surprise when it collapses under your weight, as a matter of speaking. So, I encourage you all - do your best, and fight like your life depends on it! For those successful by the end, prizes await, in addition to the satisfaction of beating this crucible."

"At midnight, the exercises will start. Major General Sinan Nunu" - Talal motioned towards the general, who stood up for a second - "will be leading the opposing force. It is all up to him what happens next. Maybe he'll be generous, and let you sleep the entire night. Maybe he'll be cruel, and spring into action when you have yet a chance to close your eyes. I don't know what he will choose." Talal cleared his throat again, to let those words sink in. "As for tonight, however, I order you all - relax! Enjoy the dinner and the chance to de-compress, for God knows, the next several days will be stressful. So, take care of yourselves, and good night." The general stepped off the stage.

As soon as Talal had finished speaking, Sinan took his place. "Masaa' al-khair. For all Riysian pilots, the shuttle to T14 will be leaving in 1.5 hours. All observers wanting to spend some time watching the exercise from the opposing force's side are more than welcome to join us. Enjoy your meal, and take care."

[...]

At that odd table sat a few Riysian pilots in their dress uniforms, sipping their ice water and making small talk. From appearance, they looked a little older than your average non-Riysian pilot, with their age lying somewhere in their late twenties to early thirties, with one of the four appearing around 35. Sensing the approach of someone from the corner of his eye, the older one turned his head towards the walking brigadier. Tapping one of his compatriots on the shoulder, he stood up, saying Tahiya! in a low voice to not disturb the other tables, the others quickly standing up as well.

Eitil, having seen the people noting her approach, smiled friendly, softly rolling her shoulders to adjust the uniform for a bit.
The group had been talking amongst each others up to that point, about what was not clear to her, the men looking somewhere around 35 and a bit younger, but none of them being as young as Faye. It looked like a nice group, she had to say.
"Good evening, gentlemen!", she greeted them with friendlyness, "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Sure, of course!" The oldest one pulled back one of the chairs, while the rest stood up, waiting for her to be seated. At close range, their rank was more visible - on the eldest's epaulets lay the lone golden eagle of a major, while on the rest were the trio of gold stars representing the rank of captain in the RiyAAF. Once everyone was seated, the major introduced himself.

"I am Major Rida Mansour, and this is my flight from the 28th "Tishreen" Fighter Squadron."
"Captain Wael al-Zoua'by. It is an honor to meet you."
"Captain Iyad al-Gar. Welcome to Riysa, madame."
"I am Captain Maher Saleh. We hope you enjoy your time here."

"So, madame." The major spoke up, getting in one question before the anthem started playing. "What happens to be your name, and where are you from?"

[The Selkie]

Having finished reviewing his speech, and confident in his memory, Talal stood up and walked over to the far end of the room, the stage and lectern ready for him. Flanking the lectern at each end of the stage was a flag, one being the Riysian flag and the other being the RiyAAF, and on the wooden stand itself lay a brass plaque of the Air Force seal. Tapping on the microphone once, to check its activity, he then cleared his throat, and begun to speak in accented English.

"Stand to the anthem!" He ordered, with the Riysian pilots standing immediately, knowing what was coming. Over the speakers, the Riysian anthem, Homat al-Diyar ("Guardians of the Homeland"), played. All of the Riysians stood up, rigidly saluting in the direction of Talal. After finishing its two-minute run, they all loosened up and sat back down, while Talal dropped his salute and went back to speaking.

"Masaa' al-khair, peace be upon you all, and welcome to Riysa, for everyone present tonight. I trust that all of your journeys to Riysa were smooth, and I pray that you find your experience here most positive. I am Lieutenant General Talal Rabah, commanding officer of the T14 and T11 training bases, and director of the Desert Hawks series of exercises." He paused for a moment, to let the servers come out and start serving the food and re-filling people's drinks.

"All of you in attendance are here for one reason, and that is to either fight in or observe our exercise. Be it to hone your air combat skills, train your officers for operational-level planning, or learn something applicable to national defense, everyone here desires to take something of value from these next few days. This is the first time that we have opened it up to non-Riysians, but thankfully, I can tell that it has already attracted much interest. Just from looking around the room and having spoke to several people, I can sense all of your excitement and energy, which pleases us greatly."

"Many of you probably have heard the claims, about Desert Hawks being incredibly difficult. Personally, I find it that difficulty is relative to every flyer's skill, but overall, we have tried to keep this exercise as intense and realistic as we can. The opponents here, you will find, will bite, and they bite hard. Do not despair at the thought of defeat though, for this is training - when we train hard, we will fight easy. No matter what the odds, fight by the skin of your teeth, and learn from both your successes and mistakes."

"A note of caution for all - this is not a test of your technology. In Desert Hawks, much like in real life, what matters most is the skill and cunning of the man at the control stick. Technology will only get you so far - it is all up to you to translate your ability into tactical victories, and from those victories, into a grand operational victory over the enemy force. If you rely only on whatever shiny gadget as a crutch, then you'll be in for a painful surprise when it collapses under your weight, as a matter of speaking. So, I encourage you all - do your best, and fight like your life depends on it! For those successful by the end, prizes await, in addition to the satisfaction of beating this crucible."

"At midnight, the exercises will start. Major General Sinan Nunu" - Talal motioned towards the general, who stood up for a second - "will be leading the opposing force. It is all up to him what happens next. Maybe he'll be generous, and let you sleep the entire night. Maybe he'll be cruel, and spring into action when you have yet a chance to close your eyes. I don't know what he will choose." Talal cleared his throat again, to let those words sink in. "As for tonight, however, I order you all - relax! Enjoy the dinner and the chance to de-compress, for God knows, the next several days will be stressful. So, take care of yourselves, and good night." The general stepped off the stage.

As soon as Talal had finished speaking, Sinan took his place. "Masaa' al-khair. For all Riysian pilots, the shuttle to T14 will be leaving in 1.5 hours. All observers wanting to spend some time watching the exercise from the opposing force's side are more than welcome to join us. Enjoy your meal, and take care."

Eitil, having seen the people noting her approach, smiled friendly, softly rolling her shoulders to adjust the uniform for a bit.
The group had been talking amongst each others up to that point, about what was not clear to her, the men looking somewhere around 35 and a bit younger, but none of them being as young as Faye. It looked like a nice group, she had to say.
"Good evening, gentlemen!", she greeted them with friendlyness, "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Sure, of course!" The oldest one pulled back one of the chairs, while the rest stood up, waiting for her to be seated. At close range, their rank was more visible - on the eldest's epaulets lay the lone golden eagle of a major, while on the rest were the trio of gold stars representing the rank of captain in the RiyAAF. Once everyone was seated, the major introduced himself.

"I am Major Rida Mansour, and this is my flight from the 28th "Tishreen" Fighter Squadron."
"Captain Wael al-Zoua'by. It is an honor to meet you."
"My name is Captain Samer Badawi. A pleasure to meet you."
"Captain Iyad al-Gar. Welcome to Riysa, madame."
"I am Captain Maher Saleh. We hope you enjoy your time here."

"So, madame." The major spoke up, getting in one question before the anthem started playing. "What happens to be your name, and where are you from?"

At the anthem, the SDF-Soldiers straigthened - despite the Free Lands not having an anthem, neither officially nor unofficially, save for a few drinking songs sung after far too much alcohol, they knew about the meaning it had to other people, akin to the meaning the Bratach, their own flag, had to them.
So, respect was shown by the SDF, despite not saluting in a way visible to the other delegates.
The speech was their gracious host was listened to and applauded when it was due. They noted, that General Talal was a good speaker. Major Dóire would take the bus to the other airbase, just to watch - as they made it clear before.

The Brigadier smiled at the five pilots, friendly.
"Good evening then, Captains, Major. The pleasure is mine.", her words were accompanied by a small nod as she sat down, her half-skirt under her, safely flowing down as she leaned back and put one leg above the other, still smiling, "I am Brigadier Kiah Eitil of the Tribe of Wicklow, SDF-Army Air Combat Command."
She made a small pause, looking each of them into the eyes.
"I am from the Free Lands of the Selkie and so far, the trip has been very enjoyable.", she said.

[Kobolis]

The quick taps on the microphone already did a lot to quiet down the conversations, the call to stand to anthem before the music kicked in completely silenced all the Kobolians in attendance. Though they held no allegiance to their flag, the anthem or even knew what the at times very cheerful song was about, they knew enough to render the proper respect.

With the speech finished, colonel Clifton raised his right arm as he gently slid back the sleeve, glancing at his watch. He made a small mental calculation, before letting the sleeve drop again. He nudged major Boom, who had taken a seat next to him. The major instinctively leaned towards his commanding officer.

"We're in the bus by no later than twenty-one hundred. Pass the word."

Within minutes, the word was quietly and with as little disruption to the ongoing conversations as possible being passed around among Kobolian servicemen and women.

Ever since his entry, Clifton had silently observed Major General Nunu who would most likely become his opponent during the upcoming days. His gut feeling about general Talal not being the actual CO of OPFOR had proven right. Though Clifton had a hard time actually getting a bearing on Nunu, his gut feeling now told him he'd be punctual. Clifton wanted his pilots prepared and get some shuteye before shit hit the fan, especially when they were put on the first day's Quick Reaction Alert force. Unless the Aquitaynians got their General Reconnaissance, Command and Control into the air at midnight, it'd be the Kobolian E-3 pulling the first shift.

Clifton then realized he had occupied himself with studying Nunu so much, he hadn't even had a chance to seek out and meet his Aquitaynian counterpart, Major Reina. They had drawn the very short “QRA” straw just like him.

Not a small man, Clifton was, with very little effort, able to get a good look over the crowd, his eyes scanning for Aquitaynian service uniforms. Luck being on his side, Major Reina himself was rather tall and Clifton had quickly locked in on him.

The colonel begged his pardon, as he pushed himself up from his seat and made his way over to Major Reina, who was standing among some of the other pilots. Clifton was able to cross the small distance in record time, even though the room was pretty occupied. He maneuvered himself into the Major’s view and waited for him to take notice.

Once the major finally gave him some form of acknowledgement, Clifton jumped on it, immediately extending his hand.
“Major Reina I presume,” Clifton said, not presuming anything as he had already read the nametag and rank insignia, “Colonel Mark Clifton, Kobolis Air Force.”

Reina turned his attention to the man standing in front of him, extending his hand for a firm shake. “A pleasure to meet you, Colonel. It seems we’ve drawn the first action of the exercises. I look forward to flying with you and your pilots.”

Clifton nodded at the major, dropping his arm to his side after the handshake.
“It sure seems so Major. Since we hadn’t been able to properly meet beforehand, I figured I’d do so now. I think it’d be beneficial if we went over some things so we won’t be caught with our pants down at midnight. I wouldn’t be surprised if they light the fire right away.”

Reina nodded in agreement. It was not unlike the Riysians to rush forward defense positions in an attempt to catch them off guard. It was a tried and true tactic indeed, but the Colonel was right - it would be unacceptable should it succeed on their watch. “I agree wholeheartedly, Colonel. This is a tactic I think the General will implement without reservation - he’s hasty to show Riysian superiority and tact through this exercise, especially since it’s new to foreigners.”

“On the other hand, another tactic I think he’ll enjoy is doing nothing. At all. Making us sweat, tire us down on edge. And then strike when at least two units just did a twenty-four hour QRA. I think both are likely avenues of approach for OPFOR.”

The colonel took a small sip from the glass of water he had taken from his seat.

“You had a preference on the early warning plane up by midnight? Your-... General, was it?”

Reina nodded. “Yes, that’s definitely another likely avenue of approach. Irregardless, I know my men are quite capable of standing by to stand by.” Laughing softly, Reina drank his soda while the Colonel asked about the early warning aircraft. Nodding again before continuing, “Yes, the GA72 General. It’s one of only a handful that the Aquitaynian military employs, simply because of their expense, but we thought this would be an excellent opportunity for the crews and pilots. It’s the smaller model of the family, but is no less capable of early warning detection and command and control. Coupled with our Growlers, I think it will make a formidable EW threat and detection net.”

Clifton slowly nodded along with the major’s story.
“Sounds good. You want your planes to pull the first airborne watch and then have my AWACS take over for their downtime? Or the other way around, either way suits me.”

“Well, our General can remain airborne indefinitely with our refueling tanker. They’ve got a kitchen and sleeping area on-board. At the least, I want to ensure it stays active during the transitional period before your AWACS gets airborne. After that if you’d prefer your own systems that’s quite alright.”

“Our AWACS can remain airborne indefinitely as well, though the KAF didn’t see fit to actually send along a refueling bird, which’ll cut short the amount of time it can remain up. Though, if your birds happen to use a similar refueling cap as our E-3, you could keep ours up indefinitely as well.”

Reina nodded. “I believe our tanker uses the standard refueling basket, so I don’t think it will be an issue - we’ll have our mechanics take a look and make sure so there aren’t any problems.”

“That solves one problem then. I intend on having at least one four-ship flight airborne at all times, to ensure an effective response against airspace intrusions. Any problems with that from your end?”

Reina shook his head. “Our standard Flight Duty Periods are 12 hours for combat pilots, so whoever replaces them will be well rested - assuming we don’t need to scramble, which I have a feeling we will. In any case, it won’t be an issue to ensure four aircraft are airborne at all times.”

“My thought exactly” Clifton said, once again taking a sip, “I think we’ll be able to work out the finer details on the actual line. Did you have any other things that you think we should discuss prior to the start, because I’m about done.”

Reina shook his head. “I believe that should about cover it. I’m sure we’ll have much more to discuss once things get rolling. It was a pleasure, sir. I look forward to working with you in the morning.”

“The pleasure was all mine major. I think we’ll enjoy a good working relationship. If shit hits the fan, I’ll see you tonight.”

With that, Clifton once again shook the major’s hand before departing back to the seat he vacated earlier. At least they had something resembling a plan now. That was better than what they had when he stood up, he thought with another sip.

[Republic of Vietnam]

Airbase T11, Tiyas, Riysa
Local Time

---

When the pilots from other countries arrived at the reception hall, they saw a group of pilots there. This group was made up of young pilots of the Vietnamese Air Force. Despite their long flight from Bien Hoa Air Base to Tiyas, they still looked able and ready. They were jovial and sociable. They took turn to introduce themselves and talked to all the allied pilots. They said they were very proud to represent their nation’s airmen in such a prestigious and professional air exercise and to learn and drill with all the experienced pilots of the Santiago Anti-Communist Treaty Organization.

Even though these young Vietnamese pilots had hundreds of flight hours in their own aircrafts, they still lack the actual combat experience that their colleagues in the Imperial Nifonese Army Air Arm, the Organized States Naval Aviation, or the Riysian Air Force had. Now they have had a modern fighter fleet and adequate training, but their skills are not well honed with real combat situations.

Vietnam wishes to change their contribution in the alliance by taking a more proactive role. In order to contribute successfully in harmonious coordination with its allies, the Vietnamese pilots must have some formal practice with their counterparts. This joint exercise is an excellent opportunity for them to achieve their goal.

---

The two officers in charge of the delegation, Colonel Nguyen Van Minh and Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quoc Hung, were busy introducing themselves to their Riysian hosts. Despite being allied members of SACTO, Vietnamese-Riysian diplomatic relations are not as close as those of the Organized States. This is the chance to strengthen the two countries’ relations.

Some of the Vietnamese pilots were off making new friends with the American pilots. It was easier for them to interact with the Americans because they already had a long history of working together. In addition, the Vietnamese pilots knew the American customs very well from their stay in America for military training.

When the Vietnamese pilots saw General Talal making his way up to the lectern, they took their seats at their table, giving their undivided attention to Talal during his welcoming speech. When Talal finished his speech, the room exploded with applause from the audience. While the servers were serving food on the table, Colonel Minh told the group.

“We should hurry up to get adequate sleep because we are assigned first echelon duty. The exercise begins at midnight. General Talal had said, the attacking force could launch its attacks at any moment. We must be prepared in advance.” Then he turned to Lieutenant Colonel Hung and said, “You'll tell them their platoon number when we return to the barrack.”

Minh paused and concluded, “That is it, gentlemen. Enjoy your meal.”

[New Aeyariss]

Just before the anthem begun, another person entered the room, followed by a group of Nifonese officers who would be piloting the Zeroes tomorrow during the combat. After all, one aircraft had several pilots, just in case, as well as technicians who were responsible to keep it in check. But this man was not going to fly tomorrow. Major General (shouho）Muranaka Daisuke came here just recently, but instantly headed alongside rest of the Nifonese crew. When one looked at him, they could easily say that Mr. Gen. Muranaka was a man of the world. Indeed, this officer spent his childhood in Aravea, studied in West Point, Organized States, and traveled a lot of world. His face was far different than how most people would have imagined an Imperial Nifonese Army Air Arm officer - no mustache or facial hair, delicate, calm facial features, small oval face and a whiter skin being a memento of his Aravean grandfather, when coupled with the way he moved created a vision of highly accustomed, cultured officer from the past ages.

For the most time, he stood at watch alongside the rest of Nifonese personnel as the anthem played, then cautiously listened to the speech. After his colleague from Riysa was done, he slowly stepped out and said:

"Gentelmen" he begun with high, proud voice as he tried to get their focus "May I get your attention for the moment?"

At the same time, high above the clouds, a long shape resembling a giant flying arrow with over 40 meters wingspan slowly loitered in the air, approaching the airfield. Of course Riysan Air Control knew everything already - in constant cooperation with the Imperial Nifonese Army Air Arm they would ensure that the drone would make it safely to the ground, following the remaining ones that were to land after it. This was the final Nifonese element, one that hasn't been officially revealed until now - and one that will have profound geopolitical implications for the defense industry world wide.

"As you may all know" begun the general "Soldiers of the Empire of Greater Nifon are extremely honored to be here today. Through the countless conflicts that we have gone through together, never for once have our Riysan friends failed us. On the contrary, many of us pondered at the courage and skill expressed by their forces in battle against hellish communist foe, weather it were skies of Timurovsky, Poland, or others. We bled together. We fought together. But even the true friendship, which we value so much, is not the reason why I am asking you for your attention at this moment."

The general took a little break before resuming.

"I know many governments in recent years wondered about "Shinden" which was a suspected UAV project from the Empire of Greater Nifon" he smiled "People exaggerated the rumors. They said that Shinden will, supposedly be used as supposed assassins mace against the carrier groups. While far from truth, I am honored to inform you that yes - Shinden, or rather, Ku-512 Shinden will make it's first public appearance today, at those very exercises, to demonstrate the skill of the Imperial Nifonese engineers to the entire world! It will be stationed at (OOC: INSERT LOCATION: NEED TO TALK TO RSIYSA) for everyone interested to see."

"This aircraft is so far largest drone ever built in Nifon, with over 40 meters wingspan" continued the general "I can not reveal many characteristics at this moment, but I can confirm that it will be capable of staying airborne for almost a day, and will be equipped in top quality RISTA systems designed to track low-observable aircraft. On it's board there will be several AESA radars providing different capabilities including Airborne Moving Target Indicator (AMTI) for tracking the enemy airborne targets, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for high resolution of stationary objects and Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) for tracking ships and other surface vehicles. But the main point is that variety of frequencies including X and UHF bands among others will be used to negate the threat posed by hostile low observable aviation such as F-22 or F-35. When coupled with long endurance time and low RCS on it's own, we realize exactly how big threat to low observable aviation will the Shinden be. Kaigun is as well interested in development of an ASW variant. All of those who wish to take a look are encouraged to do so. And I must say, that I am looking forward to testing all of our skills tomorrow! "

With that, the general slowly sat down and returned to talking with rest of the Nifonese - but carefully watching reactions of the rest of the people present in the room. Gunpeitai will surely be interested in those...

[The Selkie]

Just before the anthem begun, another person entered the room, followed by a group of Nifonese officers who would be piloting the Zeroes tomorrow during the combat. After all, one aircraft had several pilots, just in case, as well as technicians who were responsible to keep it in check. But this man was not going to fly tomorrow. Major General (shouho）Muranaka Daisuke came here just recently, but instantly headed alongside rest of the Nifonese crew. When one looked at him, they could easily say that Mr. Gen. Muranaka was a man of the world. Indeed, this officer spent his childhood in Aravea, studied in West Point, Organized States, and traveled a lot of world. His face was far different than how most people would have imagined an Imperial Nifonese Army Air Arm officer - no mustache or facial hair, delicate, calm facial features, small oval face and a whiter skin being a memento of his Aravean grandfather, when coupled with the way he moved created a vision of highly accustomed, cultured officer from the past ages.

For the most time, he stood at watch alongside the rest of Nifonese personnel as the anthem played, then cautiously listened to the speech. After his colleague from Riysa was done, he slowly stepped out and said:

"Gentelmen" he begun with high, proud voice as he tried to get their focus "May I get your attention for the moment?"

At the same time, high above the clouds, a long shape resembling a giant flying arrow with over 40 meters wingspan slowly loitered in the air, approaching the airfield. Of course Riysan Air Control knew everything already - in constant cooperation with the Imperial Nifonese Army Air Arm they would ensure that the drone would make it safely to the ground, following the remaining ones that were to land after it. This was the final Nifonese element, one that hasn't been officially revealed until now - and one that will have profound geopolitical implications for the defense industry world wide.

"As you may all know" begun the general "Soldiers of the Empire of Greater Nifon are extremely honored to be here today. Through the countless conflicts that we have gone through together, never for once have our Riysan friends failed us. On the contrary, many of us pondered at the courage and skill expressed by their forces in battle against hellish communist foe, weather it were skies of Timurovsky, Poland, or others. We bled together. We fought together. But even the true friendship, which we value so much, is not the reason why I am asking you for your attention at this moment."

The general took a little break before resuming.

"I know many governments in recent years wondered about "Shinden" which was a suspected UAV project from the Empire of Greater Nifon" he smiled "People exaggerated the rumors. They said that Shinden will, supposedly be used as supposed assassins mace against the carrier groups. While far from truth, I am honored to inform you that yes - Shinden, or rather, Ku-512 Shinden will make it's first public appearance today, at those very exercises, to demonstrate the skill of the Imperial Nifonese engineers to the entire world! It will be stationed at (OOC: INSERT LOCATION: NEED TO TALK TO RSIYSA) for everyone interested to see."

"This aircraft is so far largest drone ever built in Nifon, with over 40 meters wingspan" continued the general "I can not reveal many characteristics at this moment, but I can confirm that it will be capable of staying airborne for almost a day, and will be equipped in top quality RISTA systems designed to track low-observable aircraft. On it's board there will be several AESA radars providing different capabilities including Airborne Moving Target Indicator (AMTI) for tracking the enemy airborne targets, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for high resolution of stationary objects and Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) for tracking ships and other surface vehicles. But the main point is that variety of frequencies including X and UHF bands among others will be used to negate the threat posed by hostile low observable aviation such as F-22 or F-35. When coupled with long endurance time and low RCS on it's own, we realize exactly how big threat to low observable aviation will the Shinden be. All of those who wish to take a look are encouraged to do so. And I must say, that I am looking forward to testing all of our skills tomorrow! "

With that, the general slowly sat down and returned to talking with rest of the Nifonese - but carefully watching reactions of the rest of the people present in the room. Gunpeitai will surely be interested in those...

While Faye listened with rapt attention, making mental notes, the Major shook his head after around quarter of the whole monologue or speech - he would see the whole thing in action soon enough and that was what mattered, not a catalogue description.
Eitil, meanwhile, snorted in amusement as she listened, a grin on her face, as she turned back to the Riysians she had been talking to. "So, the Niffies have a new toy and are bragging about it... sounds to me like a child at the Spring Festival!", she joked with a smile, before she turned serious, "Combat drones are one way to tackle the future, though. An expandable and still powerful option needed in every arsenal - mark my words!"
With that, she leaned back and smiled.
"So, where were we?", she asked into the round.

[The United Remnants of America]

Commander Jenson took a seat with her compatriots after they'd all stood in reverence for the Riysian anthem. Jenson looked at her fellow representatives, "So, do we want to take the bus and see the OpFor?"

McCormick shrugged, "I honestly don't care either way. We'll see the same action from either side. The results won't change."

Tobias shook his head and spoke in his lazy-sounding foreign accent, "Naw. I wanna see ya mates fly, those OSAF boys. Who knows? We may end up workin' together again a' some point, so we might as well see how they work, eh?"

Jenson nodded, "That's fair. Fine, then. We'll go watch BluFor," Some of the servers had arrived at their table, platters in hand of food, "But... For now, we eat."

[Pakiranistan]

"Thank you." said Tahir as he and his men sat down near the Riysians.

The Pakiranis conversed among themselves and the Riysians about their day to day lives and other everday worldy affairs, however the most prevelent topic was that of planes, both sides discussed the equipment they were using and their specifications. This carried on until the Riysian national anthem started to play.

Tahir and his men stood up at attention as they held the utmost respect for the national anthem of a nation, and knew what it meant to people of the nation, as it ended they sat down and listened attentively to the introduction of the speech given by General Talal. They had indeed heard the claims that Desert Hawks was a very difficlt and rigorous exercise but they know that anything could be overcome with the right skill and determination, though they did not have the most advanced equipment, Tahir knew they had the will and morale to overcome any and all challanges presented to them in the exercise.

The Pakirani delegation listened very carefully to what General Talal had to say about General Sinan, for they knew that he would be the one dictating the attacks and manuvers of the OPFOR forces and from Tahir had gathered from initally meeting Sinan, he knew that he wasnt an easy picking and was sure to present a challange.

As the presentation was over, Tahir looked at his watch....

[Neu Engollon]

Lt. Col. Caldreau, the Gaul, finally sauntered back to his seat just in time to stand to attention with his two Teremaran military colleagues during the Riysian anthem. They didn't salute, but all three men kept to rigid attention throughout. The Selkie Captain they'd been talking to had streaked back to her seat, as well. They listened to General Talal Rabah as he went through a very precise, brief speech of what was expected of the participants. Goermann and De Perle looked at each other, ready to whisper when the Nifonese Major General Muranaka stood up to speak. They patiently listened.
When he was done, they all looked at each other, including Colonel Caldreau.
"Drones? I know we're going to see some in use, but..."

"Why do I feel like I was subjected to an informercial?"

Lt. Commander Goermann broke the brief haze.
"I...dunno. So, listen, I was thinking we should split up. At least one of us go with the OPFOR. What do ya say? I volunteer to go over to the OPFOR base. I feel that would be fascinating."

"Hell, you're passing it through to your superiors. I leave it to you." Caldreau waved and shrugged a classic Gaulic shrug.

"Well, Gilbert, you have a choice to go with one of us."

"Then I pick the good guys!"
He nodded with certainty, and just a bit of facetiousness.

Colonel De Perle spoke again,
"I'm assuming that's the participating Desert Hawk nations. 'The allies'. Colonel Caldreau, I think you can join me, whereas, I think that Commander Goermann wants to view the OPFOR side."

"Yes I do, Colonel. I think it will be fascinating." He smiled.

"Then it's settled, gentlemen. We'll see you later then, Commander."
He held his fist out and the other two knocked it with theirs. It wasn't the most military or professional of gestures, but it was subtle and quick enough that they didn't disrupt the proceedings or draw too much attention.
They got ready to tuck in to the food.

[Riysa]

With the announcement completed, the food was now the focal point of the exercise, and what a focal point it was! Plates of fruit and salted pistachios, alongside hummus with olive oil, lemon juice, and paprika, baba ghanoush, and small bite-size sandwiches had been served first, with the guests taking their fill of whatever food they wanted. Hot on the heels of the starters were the main courses, of freekeh, maa'luba, and stuffed grapeleaves, with sides of kibbeh, spinach and cheese barak, and fattoush salad. For those whose stomachs were not yet bursting at the seams was the offering of ema'a ice cream, halawat al jibin,and basbousa. To wash it all down, fresh orange juice and lemonade, supplemented by Arabic coffee and black tea - with or without sugar, as the guest desired - were all on tap, as well as the more exotic tamarind juice and ara' sous.

Taking in the food, the tables erupted in conversation once more. Riysian pilots engaged with each other and their foreign counterparts, joking, speaking tales of everyday life, sharing flight stories, and a myriad of other conversation topics. Talal sat back at his table, politely picking at his freekeh while discussing air power with General Sinan and the guests at the table. The time drew steadily closer, with Sinan repeatedly checking his watch, waiting for the time to leave.

At the anthem, the SDF-Soldiers straigthened - despite the Free Lands not having an anthem, neither officially nor unofficially, save for a few drinking songs sung after far too much alcohol, they knew about the meaning it had to other people, akin to the meaning the Bratach, their own flag, had to them.
So, respect was shown by the SDF, despite not saluting in a way visible to the other delegates.
The speech was their gracious host was listened to and applauded when it was due. They noted, that General Talal was a good speaker. Major Dóire would take the bus to the other airbase, just to watch - as they made it clear before.

The Brigadier smiled at the five pilots, friendly.
"Good evening then, Captains, Major. The pleasure is mine.", her words were accompanied by a small nod as she sat down, her half-skirt under her, safely flowing down as she leaned back and put one leg above the other, still smiling, "I am Brigadier Kiah Eitil of the Tribe of Wicklow, SDF-Army Air Combat Command."
She made a small pause, looking each of them into the eyes.
"I am from the Free Lands of the Selkie and so far, the trip has been very enjoyable.", she said.

"Tasharafna bi liqaik - we are pleased to meet you." The flyers called out in chorus, as the food was served.

"Again, we are from the 28th Fighter Squadron." The major said, in between bites of freekeh. "We fly the "Black Falcon" fighter. Its design is older than the famous Shrike, but its still a viable combat plane."

"The Tamam-Hinnawi TaH-27MJ." Captain Iyad said, washing down a grapeleaf with a glass of water. "It makes up the bulk of our fighter force, though Za'im al-Hiwari wants more Shrikes, since they're an improvement of the Falcon/Black Falcon family in every way. We're cheaper to fly and still very modern, though."

"Flown right, it'll beat nearly every plane on the planet!" Captain Wael grinned. "Even the Kobolian stealth planes better watch out, or they'll find some heat-seeking missiles up their tail."

"As you can tell, we all love it - its very fun to fly, and carries enough weaponry to turn your enemy into maalouba." Captain Maher added. "Maybe you can come watch us from Airbase T14? Once this exercise is done, I'm sure General Nunu and Colonel Sabban would allow you to be taken up in the two-seat trainer version if you asked them nicely."

[The Selkie]

With the announcement completed, the food was now the focal point of the exercise, and what a focal point it was! Plates of fruit and salted pistachios, alongside hummus with olive oil, lemon juice, and paprika, baba ghanoush, and small bite-size sandwiches had been served first, with the guests taking their fill of whatever food they wanted. Hot on the heels of the starters were the main courses, of freekeh, maa'luba, and stuffed grapeleaves, with sides of kibbeh, spinach and cheese barak, and fattoush salad. For those whose stomachs were not yet bursting at the seams was the offering of ema'a ice cream, halawat al jibin,and basbousa. To wash it all down, fresh orange juice and lemonade, supplemented by Arabic coffee and black tea - with or without sugar, as the guest desired - were all on tap, as well as the more exotic tamarind juice and ara' sous.

Taking in the food, the tables erupted in conversation once more. Riysian pilots engaged with each other and their foreign counterparts, joking, speaking tales of everyday life, sharing flight stories, and a myriad of other conversation topics. Talal sat back at his table, politely picking at his freekeh while discussing air power with General Sinan and the guests at the table. The time drew steadily closer, with Sinan repeatedly checking his watch, waiting for the time to leave.

At the anthem, the SDF-Soldiers straigthened - despite the Free Lands not having an anthem, neither officially nor unofficially, save for a few drinking songs sung after far too much alcohol, they knew about the meaning it had to other people, akin to the meaning the Bratach, their own flag, had to them.
So, respect was shown by the SDF, despite not saluting in a way visible to the other delegates.
The speech was their gracious host was listened to and applauded when it was due. They noted, that General Talal was a good speaker. Major Dóire would take the bus to the other airbase, just to watch - as they made it clear before.

The Brigadier smiled at the five pilots, friendly.
"Good evening then, Captains, Major. The pleasure is mine.", her words were accompanied by a small nod as she sat down, her half-skirt under her, safely flowing down as she leaned back and put one leg above the other, still smiling, "I am Brigadier Kiah Eitil of the Tribe of Wicklow, SDF-Army Air Combat Command."
She made a small pause, looking each of them into the eyes.
"I am from the Free Lands of the Selkie and so far, the trip has been very enjoyable.", she said.

"Tasharafna bi liqaik - we are pleased to meet you." The flyers called out in chorus, as the food was served.

"Again, we are from the 28th Fighter Squadron." The major said, in between bites of freekeh. "We fly the "Black Falcon" fighter. Its design is older than the famous Shrike, but its still a viable combat plane."

"The Tamam-Hinnawi TaH-27MJ." Captain Iyad said, washing down a grapeleaf with a glass of water. "It makes up the bulk of our fighter force, though Za'im al-Hiwari wants more Shrikes, since they're an improvement of the Falcon/Black Falcon family in every way. We're cheaper to fly and still very modern, though."

"Flown right, it'll beat nearly every plane on the planet!" Captain Wael grinned. "Even the Kobolian stealth planes better watch out, or they'll find some heat-seeking missiles up their tail."

"As you can tell, we all love it - its very fun to fly, and carries enough weaponry to turn your enemy into maalouba." Captain Maher added. "Maybe you can come watch us from Airbase T14? Once this exercise is done, I'm sure General Nunu and Colonel Sabban would allow you to be taken up in the two-seat trainer version if you asked them nicely."

Note: Quote modified by removal of spoiler-tags.

Eitil considered for a moment, masking that by chewing on her food, then decided, swallowed and said: "That indeed sounds more then tempting. I'm in. I'll arrange everything with my officers and tag along then.", she told them before leaning forward, smiling at them nicely with a slightly girlish, hoping expression, which betrayed a bit of her age. "And believe me, I can be very nice!"
She leaned back and nodded. "I agree, though. Technology, in whichever form, is not the guarantee to be victorious in actual combat. Many things factor into it.", she agreed, "In my experience, it depends as much on the pilots as it does on their ground crews and their planes - which is only around half of it. If you would please excuse me for a moment?"
Indeed, she only needed a moment to go to her two officers, announcing the change of plans: She and Faye would go to OPFOR, the Major would stay here and watch from here. The offer was simply too tempting...

[Hutanjia]

Major Gjatovo continued to act in the capacity of a top NCO-CSM for the 13th squadron and support personnel. There was a senior NCO maintenance crew chief along, but he couldn't very well chide junior officers who were all above his rank. As they all filled their plates with delicious Riysian cuisine, he chided them to use their manners and not be hogs. A few pilots had even scored a large multi-serving bottle of root beer somehow, one of the favorite drinks that didn't contain alcohol of many Hutanjians. While they also had a soft spot for pizza when abroad, the Riysian delights were more than enough to fill their stomachs as well as comfort them. Some of them came close to dishes that were popular in Hutanjia, but also many weren't that unfamiliar with Riysian cuisine. Those that were from the major cities of Nevorn (the main island of Hutanjia) or stationed near them had seen Riysian restaurants pop up in the last couple years as Riysians that worked in the defense industry factories and facilities, along with their families, began to have an impact on the local culture and economy.

Colonels Olargu and Sonaga sat a bit apart from their junior officers and discussed the events so far.
"I think that it would be good for the men to mingle with their counterparts in the allied force to gain some experience in working with friendly forces. After all, our ground forces do it all the time with groups that come to train with them in counter insurgency on Nesselberg..."

"I agree, Colonel. We have let them shut themselves off socially from the rest of the groups and I don't know that it will serve them well, when they get up in the air and have to coordinate with the other squadrons."

"Well, we'll let them eat...Then we need to give them that push to talk to the other squadrons."

"I don't know that we'll have the time. They are going to be rushed onto the shuttles to the barracks and ready rooms after the meal. I think that things are going to kick into high gear as soon as this meal is done."

"We still need to find the opportunity to brief them and get them to be aware of their responsibilities on this exercise."

"We did that before we left for Riysa. You mean we need to give them a refresher."

"Yes, whatever. A refresher briefing. It needs to happen."

"Colonel, lead the way. I will follow."

"Be ready to corral them so we can get it done quickly."

"Get it done at all."

"I'm hungry, so we will continue this...mgrrmmmpph...rmmmphgrrr..."
He had stuffed his mouth midsentence in his impatience.

[Organized States]

"Very well, thank you, Group Captain. Lieutenant Colonel Hunt. VMFA-321." Hunt stuck out his hand to the McNernian officer, a man with wings not unlike his own. Hunt had served with a few McNernians before, albeit in far-different circumstances that were not all friendly, and far more real than the events that they would come to experience the next few days. Training was almost always a good thing, but it never compared to the real thing, that was certain.

It appeared that Hunt's officers were doing quite well for themselves, mixing among the Riysans and Vietnamese officers. This was going to be a good exercise, if the Hunt's self-proclaimed motto would hold true. He did his best to encourage his men to follow the concept of Mind as sharp as the sword. and it appeared to be taking its course in the most positive of ways.

[Quirina]

Airbase T11, Tiyas, Riysa
Federated State of Providenniya

It was at this point when the Quirinese, specifically the Provideniyyans representing the Quirina republic, gained attention, despite arriving on time, and most of them already have been duly accommodated by Riysan staff upon their arrival in the venue with a few bites and sips. The ball is not something that the Provideniyyans are expecting but were rather briefed beforehand by the IAF (Integrated Armed Forces) General Staff that an event as this is somewhat not their taste. Despite this rush they're feeling to prove that Slavian might is always right, which is a continental cultural clash between other pilots from other Quirinese nations, such as Viyagosians, Akidans, and Meishoese pilots who were enrolled in the said exercise by the IAF Trainee Exchange Program that facilitates high-class training to any Quirinese, regardless of their nationality.

Lest to be forgotten are the Livanians, who were manning the Rapax fighters, the pride of air dominance of the Livanian and Quirinese. Headed by a Srbislavnik, Col. Mikhail Dragovic was appointed to head the delegation and the command of the Unit for the exercises. Once being assigned in Poland for combating the Soviet advance with the 37th Army, he was one of the colonels who decided with General Malinkov to shoot down a Soviet satellite using the Rapax with an ABM, which was quite a feat. He also was one of the commanders of the AWACS aircraft that took part on the Albora scramble, that resulted into a Sabhan aerial defeat, and later on an utter humiliation to the entire NPLA of Bulgar Rouge. His experience was real-time and not borne of flimsy socialite parties, pretending to be elites.

Noticing that no one was approaching Dragovic, since he seem to appear with his Staff and pilots as newly-arrived, even though they were standing near the doors of the hall, his retinue and himself walked towards the food queue and picked their plates up while the program's master, a Riysan, announced the buffet to be opened. Half of them already sat down, and the rest went to their reserved tables. Dragovic is not a person who comes to you and talks to you, but only waits for an opportunity to speak. Chancing upon a Riysan, the man asked "Are you a Quirinese?" Seeing that Riysans dispersed among the crowd of pilots and officers, Mikhail nodded blankly, but smiled along, replying "What kind of Quirinese? I mean, there's lot of people in Quirina, so many, we're a cluster of cultures." He ended with a small laugh. That Riysan and Dragovic talked while taking in their lot of the food for their plates. He then asked the Riysan about how each food was made, which picked his interest, since he's a cook when on leave from combat.

All the meanwhile, Staff from ROSHAN were also present in the occasion, although appearing to be co-pilots and officers from the Quirinese bloc, they can be seen attentively looking around, but in a much casual manner, unlike a group of Nifonese that they had noticed scanning people around, maybe for potential intruders, but security is certain in such airbase.

[Riysa]

The hands on the watch struck 8:30, and it was time for the Riysians to get back to T14, and for the exercises get started. Officers checked on their subordinates, gathering and moving them out to get ready for the trip. Standing up, Sinan gave his goodbyes to Talal, properly saluting him before giving the customary three kisses on the cheek.

"Allah be with you." Talal said, smiling. "You'll need all the help you can get, to beat everyone here."

Sinan laughed. "General, I asked for a challenge when I was selected, and you gave me foreign air services? What a treat. But we'll break their noses, if He wills, I'm certain."

Talal shrugged. It all fell to Sinan to see whether the Riysian team could pull off a stunning victory, or whether it'd be wiped out from the skies. Being able to face off against so many dissimilar aircraft and foreign aircrews was a rare occasion, and he knew enough about Sinan to know that regardless of his bluster, neither he nor anyone under him would waste this opportunity. "Well then, good night."

"Good night, General." Sinan strode away, the colonels at his tail. In his mind, the exercise had already begun, and he knew exactly what his opening moves would be.

Outside the Building, Airbase T11

"PRESENT!" A section of pilots yelled in Arabic, slightly shivering, clouds of crystallized breath floating away into the night sky. It got bone-chillingly cold at night during this time of year, the current temperature outside hovering just above freezing. The heavy ornamental dress, with its wool coat, helped shield its wearers from some of the worst the cold had yet to offer, but obviously it wasn't enough.

Their commanding officer, a man in his early forties with the shoulderboards of a colonel, nodded approvingly. "28th Sirb is ready!" The colonel turned to face Sinan, saluting. The general saluted in reply - everyone was now here, plus a couple of observers who wanted to tag along. Behind them was a convoy of military buses, the mechanical sounds of their engines droning off into the distance, waiting to take everyone to Airbase T14, home of the opposing force. It was quite some distance away, taking about two hours; by the time they got there, they'd have no more than an hour to prepare before the exercise was supposed to start, which is why Sinan wanted to leave quickly.

"All sirbs, move!" The general commanded. The squadrons climbed into the bus in order of rank, with colonels first, and down from there, with General Nunu being the last to board. With everyone properly seated, squashed next to each other in the seats, the drivers were ready to take off into the night. The sounds of switching gears was followed by a lurching motion, as the brakes were released, and the convoy begun its journey to T14.

Airbase T14, Maadin, Riysa
November 11, 2016, 23:00 Local Time

Unlike the ornamental T11, T14 was a base clearly designed to wage war. Squat, thick desert-coloured concrete aircraft shelters, unit markings and symbols faintly applied to the entrance, camouflaged with sand and local shrubbery, dotted the expanses of the airbase. Four redundant runways and their associated taxiways and access points outlined the central portion of the base, forming a great grey square, which consisted of more concrete buildings and a few large hangars. Like grapes hanging off the vine, small alert pads stood for individual aircraft, connected by a series of taxiways resembling a carriage wheel with its spokes, set some distance away from their associated shelter and attached to them only by soil and sand-covered driveways. Other facilities, such as munitions bunkers, air raid shelters, and AvGas farms, were undoubtedly present, carefully hidden from prying eyes. Even with the low visibility of night, the airbase's features could be vaguely made out. Certainly, it was a fitting home for the team playing OPFOR.

The buses, driving up one of the main roadways, pulled up to a large building complex, dug out into the ground some distance away from the runways and aircraft shelters. Judging by the presence of a small courtyard on top with greenery and benches, the ablaq stonework hidden underneath a thick sand-colored concrete roof, and glass windows protected by closeable shutters, this was one of the barracks and headquarters buildings. As soon as the buses came to a stop, the pilots, needing no order, ran off inside in the same order they boarded.

"No more than ten minutes to change, then meet me in the conference room for a briefing!" Sinan informed his staff and the squadron commanders, the last to step off the buses. Following along the command staff were the few observers who had decided to follow the Riysians back to T14; unlike the pilots and staff, who hurried off to their quarters to change, the observers were directed to the lounge by a couple of red-berreted military policemen, where they would wait until all of the preparation was complete.

The next hour was a whirlwind of activity. Dress uniforms were replaced with grey-blue flight suits or black "wooly-pully" sweaters and pants, GCI controllers with their unique patches and headsets and pilots ran from door to door, and men of all sorts of ranks and states of alertness bustled from corridor to corridor. Behind a thick set of doors was the general and his command staff, running through Sinan's vision of the upcoming air war, and planning each squadron's contribution. By the time Sinan's briefing was done, and each of the squadron commanders had briefed their own subordinates, the clock had almost reached midnight.

Without delay, Sinan and his aides hurried off through the door, up the stairs, to a waiting vehicle. There, they'd be taken to the underground air defense command post, where he'd wage the war. Other off-road vehicles appeared in short notice to take the few GCI controllers at the barracks here to the command post, while soon enough, they'd take the pilots to their aircraft.

Despite Sinan having already left, there was still some time for the observers to move around. "Good evening!" A military policeman with the lone star of a second lieutenant walked into the lounge, facing the seated observers. "Will anyone be joining the controllers in the command post? There is a free cab heading for there right now."

Airbase T14 Command Post
November 12, 2016, 00:00 Local Time

Sinan slipped into the seat at his designated console, placing his peaked cap on the side of the desk, just as the clock hit midnight. The somewhat cramped room he was in was the air defence central command post, the nerve center of the OPFOR for the duration of the exercise. With around three dozen individual consoles with as many operators, it was built for functionality, not for comfort.

Gratefully accepting a cup of Arabic coffee and a plate of fruit from a passing aide, Sinan stared at the big projector screen up front before returning to his double stack of consoles. Neither side had anything yet orbiting, of course, so getting AEW up was a top priority. No doubt the enemy force was thinking the same thing. Even if they didn't, and sent up fighters first, it didn't really matter since peace was enforced, giving both sides time to prepare. So yes, definitely the number one priority at this point was to get the AEW craft airborne.

Talal had mentioned in his in-character briefing that this area was supposed to be a civilian air traffic zone, and from the limited amount of data being sent in by the SAM battalion's command post, he could tell that there was plenty of neutral craft airborne judging by all the contacts on the search radar. This would severely complicate engagement for both sides, at least for now, since locking up and engaging an IFF-unresponsive target could result in a simulated civvie plane being shot down rather than an enemy airplane. They weren't orbiting or predictable either; they left and entered to the engagement area, flew in unique patterns, and most importantly, there seemed to be no fixed number of neutral aircraft. This would definitely be the most dangerous aspect of the first 24 hours, since "killing" a civilian plane would be disastrous for either side.

Sinan scratched his shoulder under the sweater for a moment, as he thought. Well, there was no point in waiting - the AEW had to get airborne over anything else. He slipped his headset onto his shoulders and picked up the provided telephone, calling the appropriate ground controller. One Du-4, one Ha-15 SIGINT gatherer, and 2 Ha-29s, in that order, would set up the initial intelligence-gathering mission and pave the path for the rest of the operation. It would take some time for them to get airborne, but he could wait...much to the soon to be dismay of the enemy force.

Before putting down the phone, there was still one more thing he wanted to do. He switched the line on his telephone, and began to speak into the intercom in Arabic.

"My brothers and friends in the Air Force. Tonight is the night of action. We will be simulating an entire war right here, against a coalition of completely different aircraft and officers from our friends, and on it lies our pride and skill as the lions of the Arab world. They have brought their latest fighters and best pilots to face us, trying to test our skill and worth, but do not fear. For I know that one of us, patient and courageous, can defeat at least two of them despite their technological advantage. So hold fast to your honor and faith, and show our friends how well we can fight! God is the Greatest, and victory to the Arabs! Long live Riysa, free, proud, and blessed."

Now, the real game started, and soon enough, it would be clear as to whom held the advantage.

[The Selkie]

The hands on the watch struck 8:30, and it was time for the Riysians to get back to T14, and for the exercises get started. Officers checked on their subordinates, gathering and moving them out to get ready for the trip. Standing up, Sinan gave his goodbyes to Talal, properly saluting him before giving the customary three kisses on the cheek.

"Allah be with you." Talal said, smiling. "You'll need all the help you can get, to beat everyone here."

Sinan laughed. "General, I asked for a challenge when I was selected, and you gave me foreign air services? What a treat. But we'll break their noses, if He wills, I'm certain."

Talal shrugged. It all fell to Sinan to see whether the Riysian team could pull off a stunning victory, or whether it'd be wiped out from the skies. Being able to face off against so many dissimilar aircraft and foreign aircrews was a rare occasion, and he knew enough about Sinan to know that regardless of his bluster, neither he nor anyone under him would waste this opportunity. "Well then, good night."

"Good night, General." Sinan strode away, the colonels at his tail. In his mind, the exercise had already begun, and he knew exactly what his opening moves would be.

Outside the Building, Airbase T11

"PRESENT!" A section of pilots yelled in Arabic, slightly shivering, clouds of crystallized breath floating away into the night sky. It got bone-chillingly cold at night during this time of year, the current temperature outside hovering just above freezing. The heavy ornamental dress, with its wool coat, helped shield its wearers from some of the worst the cold had yet to offer, but obviously it wasn't enough.

Their commanding officer, a man in his early forties with the shoulderboards of a colonel, nodded approvingly. "28th Sirb is ready!" The colonel turned to face Sinan, saluting. The general saluted in reply - everyone was now here, plus a couple of observers who wanted to tag along. Behind them was a convoy of military buses, the mechanical sounds of their engines droning off into the distance, waiting to take everyone to Airbase T14, home of the opposing force. It was quite some distance away, taking about two hours; by the time they got there, they'd have no more than an hour to prepare before the exercise was supposed to start, which is why Sinan wanted to leave quickly.

"All sirbs, move!" The general commanded. The squadrons climbed into the bus in order of rank, with colonels first, and down from there, with General Nunu being the last to board. With everyone properly seated, squashed next to each other in the seats, the drivers were ready to take off into the night. The sounds of switching gears was followed by a lurching motion, as the brakes were released, and the convoy begun its journey to T14.

Airbase T14, Maadin, Riysa
November 11, 2016, 23:00 Local Time

Unlike the ornamental T11, T14 was a base clearly designed to wage war. Squat, thick desert-coloured concrete aircraft shelters, unit markings and symbols faintly applied to the entrance, camouflaged with sand and local shrubbery, dotted the expanses of the airbase. Four redundant runways and their associated taxiways and access points outlined the central portion of the base, forming a great grey square, which consisted of more concrete buildings and a few large hangars. Like grapes hanging off the vine, small alert pads stood for individual aircraft, connected by a series of taxiways resembling a carriage wheel with its spokes, set some distance away from their associated shelter and attached to them only by soil and sand-covered driveways. Other facilities, such as munitions bunkers, air raid shelters, and AvGas farms, were undoubtedly present, carefully hidden from prying eyes. Even with the low visibility of night, the airbase's features could be vaguely made out. Certainly, it was a fitting home for the team playing OPFOR.

The buses, driving up one of the main roadways, pulled up to a large building complex, dug out into the ground some distance away from the runways and aircraft shelters. Judging by the presence of a small courtyard on top with greenery and benches, the ablaq stonework hidden underneath a thick sand-colored concrete roof, and glass windows protected by closeable shutters, this was one of the barracks and headquarters buildings. As soon as the buses came to a stop, the pilots, needing no order, ran off inside in the same order they boarded.

"No more than ten minutes to change, then meet me in the conference room for a briefing!" Sinan informed his staff and the squadron commanders, the last to step off the buses. Following along the command staff were the few observers who had decided to follow the Riysians back to T14; unlike the pilots and staff, who hurried off to their quarters to change, the observers were directed to the lounge by a couple of red-berreted military policemen, where they would wait until all of the preparation was complete.

The next hour was a whirlwind of activity. Dress uniforms were replaced with grey-blue flight suits or black "wooly-pully" sweaters and pants, GCI controllers with their unique patches and headsets and pilots ran from door to door, and men of all sorts of ranks and states of alertness bustled from corridor to corridor. Behind a thick set of doors was the general and his command staff, running through Sinan's vision of the upcoming air war, and planning each squadron's contribution. By the time Sinan's briefing was done, and each of the squadron commanders had briefed their own subordinates, the clock had almost reached midnight.

Without delay, Sinan and his aides hurried off through the door, up the stairs, to a waiting vehicle. There, they'd be taken to the underground air defense command post, where he'd wage the war. Other off-road vehicles appeared in short notice to take the few GCI controllers at the barracks here to the command post, while soon enough, they'd take the pilots to their aircraft.

Despite Sinan having already left, there was still some time for the observers to move around. "Good evening!" A military policeman with the lone star of a second lieutenant walked into the lounge, facing the seated observers. "Will anyone be joining the controllers in the command post? There is a free cab heading for there right now."

Airbase T14 Command Post
November 12, 2016, 00:00 Local Time

Sinan slipped into the seat at his designated console, placing his peaked cap on the side of the desk, just as the clock hit midnight. The somewhat cramped room he was in was the air defence central command post, the nerve center of the OPFOR for the duration of the exercise. With around three dozen individual consoles with as many operators, it was built for functionality, not for comfort.

Gratefully accepting a cup of Arabic coffee and a plate of fruit from a passing aide, Sinan stared at the big projector screen up front before returning to his double stack of consoles. Neither side had anything yet orbiting, of course, so getting AEW up was a top priority. No doubt the enemy force was thinking the same thing. Even if they didn't, and sent up fighters first, it didn't really matter since peace was enforced, giving both sides time to prepare. So yes, definitely the number one priority at this point was to get the AEW craft airborne.

Talal had mentioned in his in-character briefing that this area was supposed to be a civilian air traffic zone, and from the limited amount of data being sent in by the SAM battalion's command post, he could tell that there was plenty of neutral craft airborne judging by all the contacts on the search radar. This would severely complicate engagement for both sides, at least for now, since locking up and engaging an IFF-unresponsive target could result in a simulated civvie plane being shot down rather than an enemy airplane. They weren't orbiting or predictable either; they left and entered to the engagement area, flew in unique patterns, and most importantly, there seemed to be no fixed number of neutral aircraft. This would definitely be the most dangerous aspect of the first 24 hours, since "killing" a civilian plane would be disastrous for either side.

Sinan scratched his shoulder under the sweater for a moment, as he thought. Well, there was no point in waiting - the AEW had to get airborne over anything else. He slipped his headset onto his shoulders and picked up the provided telephone, calling the appropriate ground controller. One Du-4, one Ha-15 SIGINT gatherer, and 2 Ha-29s, in that order, would set up the initial intelligence-gathering mission and pave the path for the rest of the operation. It would take some time for them to get airborne, but he could wait...much to the soon to be dismay of the enemy force.

Before putting down the phone, there was still one more thing he wanted to do. He switched the line on his telephone, and began to speak into the intercom in Arabic.

"My brothers and friends in the Air Force. Tonight is the night of action. We will be simulating an entire war right here, against a coalition of completely different aircraft and officers from our friends, and on it lies our pride and skill as the lions of the Arab world. They have brought their latest fighters and best pilots to face us, trying to test our skill and worth, but do not fear. For I know that one of us, patient and courageous, can defeat at least two of them despite their technological advantage. So hold fast to your honor and faith, and show our friends how well we can fight! God is the Greatest, and victory to the Arabs! Long live Riysa, free, proud, and blessed."

Now, the real game started, and soon enough, it would be clear as to whom held the advantage.

After a nice long talk with the Captains and the Major and informing her own about the change of plans used the bus-ride to catch a bit of shut-eye, while Captain Ainnir was a bit giddy - girlish, that was for sure, but the young woman lived for flying, so it was understandable.
T14 was another kind of airbase as they noted upon arrival. T11 was more representative, a jewel for the eyes, but still a working combat air base - T14 was a full, simple combat airbase. While the splendor of the Riysian's base was a sight to behold, the two Selkie appreciated the cold and simple functionality of the other airbase.
Arriving at the lounge after being directed there, the two of them got seated - Ainnir at the edge of her seat, waiting for the first aircraft to launch, which caused Eitil to smirk and lean back, waiting for the things to come.
If she was in charge, she would first get her intelligence together: Who was she against and where was he? What would he plan? How could she counteract it and what had she, what could do the job? She assumed, that this was already done long ago.
So, next step, getting to know, where the enemy was now, that meant, getting eyes into the sky. Eyes, in this case, did not literally mean eyes (not only, at least), but radar. Either a ground installation, mobile or fixed, or an aircraft. AWACS would be more mobile, but more vulnerable if one asked her, but that was what escorts were for.
Civilian airtraffic would play a little bit of a role, though if someone was dumb enough to fly over a combat zone, then it was their Cailib-forsaken problem, if they were shot down or not. Tragic, but ultimately not the problem of those waging war. A PR-desaster in the making.
"Good evening!", a young man with the rank insignia of a Lieutenant, if Eitil was not completely mistaken, greeted her and the other observers in the lounge, startling her out of her thoughts, "Will anyone be joining the controllers in the command post? There is a free cab heading for there right now."
"I would love to, please.", the white haired woman said, smiling at Ainnir. "You have fun, lassie! And don't forget to brush your teeth!"
"'kay!", the young woman replied distracted at the first aircraft indeed appeared on the strip.

[Hutanjia]

T11 Airbase, Riysa

With the preliminary briefings and the opening gathering over, the Hutanjians had reined in whatever light hearted hijinks they were up to in order to organize and get out to their assigned hangars to prepare. They made their way to their assigned barracks and hangars as fast as they could. The expediency was necessary as the exercise would kick off that very evening in a short amount of time.
The Hutanjians weren’t the QRA on deck for this evening’s kick off to the exercise, but it didn’t mean that they couldn’t be called on to back up their BLUFOR allies. They were well aware that with the Riysian hosts calling the shots, nearly everything was possible and probable in such an exercise including a mass wave attack.

When they arrived, the crews for the air refueling tankers, the RCC General, and the other support aircraft linked up with the ground crews who had skipped the festivities in order to prep the aircraft. They would be the first to take off and therefore every point on their checklists needed to be covered in detail.

Lt. Col. Maxwell Olargu pulled aside one of his crew techs for Rewera One, what the RCC General would be referred to for this exercise, but also its traditional call sign since its commissioning into the HRAF two years ago during the Hutanjian War. Lieutenant Percival Jobatna was the lowest ranked officer of the crew, but he was a very capable crewman and systems tech on board Rewera One.
“Jobatna, I need you to take this flash drive...” He grabbed his left hand and slapped the drive into the junior officer’s palm, “...and take it to the Pakiranistanis. We will be coordinating with them tomorrow as the QRA and we will need to exchange codes and IFFs. If you can get any data from them in return so that we can avoid accidentally deepsixing their birds out of the exercise, that would be very desirable.”

“Uh...uh...yes Sir. Would I be able to take one of the ground vehicles afforded to us? Is there a shuttle? How close are they? The Pakiranistanis?”

“These are all details that I leave up to you, Lieutenant. Commandeer a vehicle, hitch a ride, walk, find the Pakiranistanis wherever their accommodations may be. That is up to you. Just take care of this post haste so that we’re not caught short. Do it now.”

“Yes, Sir! I will execute your orders.”

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Sonaga and Maj. Gjatovo had arrived at the hangar that housed the HRAF Mirages and Shrikes. They watched as their pilots went over checklists with their assigned ground crew chiefs. It was difficult to not catch most of the pilots lovingly caressing the fuselages of their aircraft as they held clipboards or pointed out something that needed attention on their fighter craft to the ground crew.

They had the Riysian training software installed on all the planes, and all that was left was to get the proper codes from their new allies, the rest of BLUFOR. While there were parts of the world that used standardized IFF, there were many many nations in many regions with a myriad of IFF systems. It never hurt to check that they were on the same page as the other BLUFOR squadrons.

Captive carry missiles were loaded up and wired in through panels in the wings that would talk to the training software. They would never leave their hard points, but they would simulate missile fires and as far as the cockpit computers were concerned, they were not dummy missiles, but the real thing.

Blank rounds were also loaded up into the drums for the canons. All was readied for the simulation, yet still the Eagles felt like they were heading up into the real thing, and they treated it as such.
They had learned to lightly rest during the war, when they were continually flying missions against the Cards and Falkies. It was with that raw, nervous energy that most of the pilots who could retired for the evening, to be as fresh as possible for the next day’s events.

[McNernia]

OOC:Sorry folks, I had a bit of a wild ride of a week/weekend got myself a new computer and all that Jazz. If anyone could telegram me the whole picture about proceedings I am free this weekend so I am able to edit the post I am about to make. This new computer is impressive and I do believe that we shall enjoy this little war game.

---

Airbase T11

---

"A pleasure Leiutenant Colonel, All mine I assure you, I never met an aviator with your background before. I have read of what the OSMC has done in support of the RVN in their struggle against the menace of the Reds. We in Mcnernia have founght the red meance for about 50 plus years and we have done well but we have been slipping." He nodded to the Hutanjian delegation as if he wished to apologize but he would merely be faced with Scorn. The Mcnernians were honorable people and well Mcnernian pilots had a reputation of designing patches and walking around with them. Coats of arms of a sort and a certain arrogance that was put away during exercises and combat replaced with a cocktail of professional ice and passion for the job of flying. Personal badges were tolerated, on helmets and on suits worn during parties and such. Squadron insignia tended to be the basis put on a Euro-pattern shield, Mcnernians had never thought of themselves as Europeans with their isolation from the continent of that name despite their similar features meant that they had a somewhat Russian outlook and they were proud of it. Though Celtic they were far more numerous than the Irish and the others. A nation that had forged an Empire that dwarfed Britain from the sheer size of it. And with the vastness of Mcnernia itself the experience that Mcnernias armed forces brought to the table surpassed many.

Ronan continued a bit. Americans were strange so the clash of cultures that he had experienced had not be unfriendly there was more of a thing of Mcnernians taking things seriously and the Americans coming off as lax. "My knowledge of the Vietnam War aside, a conflict we could not take part in due to our own Communist problems, Soviet and Chinese in origin I am curious about what you yourself have done Lt Colonel, what combat have you flown in. There is Desert Storm...if you have served," Ronan looked at Hunt, part of MRAF officering was learning to read people and well if what the man was showing. The intial hesitance, a sign of familiarity was it. Then again he could be wrong. Ronan had not met American pilots personally. But well from what he had heard they were lax and arrogant. Quite a few.

"Where have you flown, Middle East?"

[Neu Engollon]

T14 Base
Riysa

Lt. Commander Goermann hopped off the transport to Base T14 after almost two hours of observing the area of operations between the two bases. To be honest, the Neu Engollian navy aviator hadn't been taking notes the whole time, but he'd noted enough to get an idea of what the two forces in the exercise would have to navigate on their daily missions. None of it was extremely difficult territory, even for low flying aircraft.

He did think back to the admonishments of the briefers to be aware of civilian aircraft. He knew that some fighter pilots would be afraid to fire on anything unidentified in the AO, while others might let the missiles fly without much concern about the consequences. Most may fall somewhere in between, risking collateral damage if it meant ultimate victory. Such was the folly of war.

General Nunu and his squadrons might actually pay attention to the large amount of collateral traffic over the AO, but how they would mobilize and face off with BLUFOR remained to be seen. That's why he was here. Not just to see how the Riysians mobilized against an enemy, but how they operated as an OPFOR during an exercise. He'd been taking endless notes on his tablet during the bus ride, hoping that he could add points as he saw the first planes lift off to start the exercise.

As they entered the observation area, he spied Captain Ainnir. He was unaware that he'd just missed the invitation to join the controllers in their center. He walked over towards the Selkie aviator and pointed to the seat next to her.
"Hello, Captain. Remember me? Commander Goermann? Ahem...Is this seat available?"

---

T11 Base
Riysa

Lt. Col Caldreau and Colonel De Perle, meanwhile, prepared to watch the first patrols of the 'Allied' force enter the air. After the light hearted mingling, it seemed that most of the aviators had gotten serious and prepared to get their planes ready for the next couple days of engagements.
De Perle said softly to his Gaul compatriot,
"I have to be honest, Colonel. I will try to observe as long as possible, but I am feeling a little jet lagged and may need to cut it short."

Caldreau nodded,
"Oui, I understand. How about you retire now, and I will wake you when things start to get exciting?"

"Yes, that might be...well, wait...If I go to lay down, by the time you wake me any quick action might be over."

"Perhaps you could try to get comfortable in that padded chair over there? I could maybe help find a blanket. We could take turns resting that way."

"Ah, brings me back to my own training days."

"Oui, I agree. It's much like those days. So what do you say, Colonel?"

"Let's do it. Sounds like a plan, Colonel." De Perle sauntered over to claim the extra padded chair in question. He cozied in, using his jacket as a pillow while Caldreau searched for a blanket.

[The Selkie]

T14 Base
Riysa

Lt. Commander Goermann hopped off the transport to Base T14 after almost two hours of observing the area of operations between the two bases. To be honest, the Neu Engollian navy aviator hadn't been taking notes the whole time, but he'd noted enough to get an idea of what the two forces in the exercise would have to navigate on their daily missions. None of it was extremely difficult territory, even for low flying aircraft.

He did think back to the admonishments of the briefers to be aware of civilian aircraft. He knew that some fighter pilots would be afraid to fire on anything unidentified in the AO, while others might let the missiles fly without much concern about the consequences. Most may fall somewhere in between, risking collateral damage if it meant ultimate victory. Such was the folly of war.

General Nunu and his squadrons might actually pay attention to the large amount of collateral traffic over the AO, but how they would mobilize and face off with BLUFOR remained to be seen. That's why he was here. Not just to see how the Riysians mobilized against an enemy, but how they operated as an OPFOR during an exercise. He'd been taking endless notes on his tablet during the bus ride, hoping that he could add points as he saw the first planes lift off to start the exercise.

As they entered the observation area, he spied Captain Ainnir. He was unaware that he'd just missed the invitation to join the controllers in their center. He walked over towards the Selkie aviator and pointed to the seat next to her.
"Hello, Captain. Remember me? Commander Goermann? Ahem...Is this seat available?"

---

T11 Base
Riysa

Lt. Col Caldreau and Colonel De Perle, meanwhile, prepared to watch the first patrols of the 'Allied' force enter the air. After the light hearted mingling, it seemed that most of the aviators had gotten serious and prepared to get their planes ready for the next couple days of engagements.
De Perle said softly to his Gaul compatriot,
"I have to be honest, Colonel. I will try to observe as long as possible, but I am feeling a little jet lagged and may need to cut it short."

Caldreau nodded,
"Oui, I understand. How about you retire now, and I will wake you when things start to get exciting?"

"Yes, that might be...well, wait...If I go to lay down, by the time you wake me any quick action might be over."

"Perhaps you could try to get comfortable in that padded chair over there? I could maybe help find a blanket. We could take turns resting that way."

"Ah, brings me back to my own training days."

"Oui, I agree. It's much like those days. So what do you say, Colonel?"

"Let's do it. Sounds like a plan, Colonel." De Perle sauntered over to claim the extra padded chair in question. He cozied in, using his jacket as a pillow while Caldreau searched for a blanket.

Ainnir was in thoughts, watching the first planes.
They were quite a sight to see, but they did not look as nimble as the Veilbhits. Then again, her aircraft of choice was built for an entirely different purpose.
Now, she would love to... "Hello, Captain. Remember me? Commander Goermann? Ahem...Is this seat available?", a familiar voice suddenly said startling her out of her thoughts.
It took a moment to get her breathing under control again, but she smiled at the Commander. "Sorry, didn't hear you there...", she told him apologetically, "And yes to both - come!"
She made an inviting gesture towards the seat at her side.
"What do you think of the whole thing so far?", she asked with a smile as he was sitting down, excitement in her voice.

[Neu Engollon]

It took a noticeable moment for Captain Ainnir to respond, but she smiled at the Commander. "Sorry, didn't hear you there...", she told him apologetically, "And yes to both - come!"
She made an inviting gesture towards the seat at her side. Goermann felt bad at breaking her reverie, but then she became warm and friendly, as she had been when they'd been talking to her earlier at Airbase T11. She was just very absorbed in the moment, bless her young heart.

"What do you think of the whole thing so far?", she asked with a smile as he was sitting down, excitement in her voice.

Lt. Com. Goermann settled into the seat and stowed his day bag and tablet underneath.
"Well, the whole thing is very impressive. It's a bit early to tell, but so far, the Riysians seem to be very organized and determined to keep this exercise going without a hitch. The challenge is definitely going to be on the guest squadrons and their leaders to keep up communication and coordinate a good defense against the OPFOR aggressor."
More fighters were taking off and his eyes followed them even though his mouth was directed to her,
"This first day will be the big test, or possibly the giant lesson of 'what not to do', as the case may be. All the nations may run training patrols and exercises on their own, but a joint exercise of this magnitude is anything but routine...although it should be. Coalition peacekeeping-type forces are more the norm and acceptable these days, than a nation acting unilaterally, so it would make sense that several air forces should learn to work together. Who's up first again?" He rummaged for the briefing notes. While he was digging, he returned with, "What are your thoughts so far, Captain?"

[The Selkie]

It took a noticeable moment for Captain Ainnir to respond, but she smiled at the Commander. "Sorry, didn't hear you there...", she told him apologetically, "And yes to both - come!"
She made an inviting gesture towards the seat at her side. Goermann felt bad at breaking her reverie, but then she became warm and friendly, as she had been when they'd been talking to her earlier at Airbase T11. She was just very absorbed in the moment, bless her young heart.

"What do you think of the whole thing so far?", she asked with a smile as he was sitting down, excitement in her voice.

Lt. Com. Goermann settled into the seat and stowed his day bag and tablet underneath.
"Well, the whole thing is very impressive. It's a bit early to tell, but so far, the Riysians seem to be very organized and determined to keep this exercise going without a hitch. The challenge is definitely going to be on the guest squadrons and their leaders to keep up communication and coordinate a good defense against the OPFOR aggressor."
More fighters were taking off and his eyes followed them even though his mouth was directed to her,
"This first day will be the big test, or possibly the giant lesson of 'what not to do', as the case may be. All the nations may run training patrols and exercises on their own, but a joint exercise of this magnitude is anything but routine...although it should be. Coalition peacekeeping-type forces are more the norm and acceptable these days, than a nation acting unilaterally, so it would make sense that several air forces should learn to work together. Who's up first again?" He rummaged for the briefing notes. While he was digging, he returned with, "What are your thoughts so far, Captain?"

Ainnir smiled at the Commander.
"That our gracious hosts have not spared any expense.", she told him, "You are correct. The use of this exercise, however, is, at least in my mind, not only for the different air forces to work together, but also for the people in charge - or in the pilot's seat, as the case may be - to get to know each other in the first place. In my experience, it's always better to be able to put a face to the voice over radio. It helps with communication."
She made a small force.
"Then again, the SDF-Army isn't that large, we don't even have an independent air force to begin with, so... my views might be a bit biased.", she explained with a smile, "But yes, the first challenge will definately be communication and coordination."

[Neu Engollon]

Ainnir smiled at the Commander.
"That our gracious hosts have not spared any expense.", she told him, "You are correct. The use of this exercise, however, is, at least in my mind, not only for the different air forces to work together, but also for the people in charge - or in the pilot's seat, as the case may be - to get to know each other in the first place. In my experience, it's always better to be able to put a face to the voice over radio. It helps with communication...
"Then again, the SDF-Army isn't that large, we don't even have an independent air force to begin with, so... my views might be a bit biased."
She explained with a smile, "But yes, the first challenge will definitely be communication and coordination."

Goermann nodded. He took a moment to process what she said. He thought back to when he was constantly flying on carriers instead of pushing papers or scrolling computer maps. To even know all the personnel on board your own carrier you talked to on the radio was sometimes quite a feat. You knew your AHO (Aircraft Handling Officer) and most of the Pri-Fly (Primary Flight Control), but on occasion they might be trying out a new, young LSO (Landing Signals Officer) who you'd never met, but had to trust that he...they...would guide you in smooth for a good AOA (Angle of Attack) and nail the landing. Sometimes, all you had was a voice to talk you in on a dark, cloudy night.

"Hmmm. Yes, knowing who is on the other end of the radio is important. It's not always possible, though. I agree that it would help for everyone to have gotten to know each other better back during the initial briefing, but...for some of these flyers, they will likely never see each other again after this exercise, only working with their new comrades once? Twice or three times at the most throughout the week?
For those in SACTO and similar alliances, I think they would indeed benefit more from getting to know each others' commanders and top flyers as they have more chance of working together on a regular basis. Sometimes a call sign is all you have, though. That's part of multi-squadron operations."
He looked around the observation room, spying a sideboard that held tea, coffee, water and fixings. Ideally, it would hold pitchers of beer also, but that was highly unlikely here in Riysa, whereas it wouldn't be unheard of on a Neu Engollian base for grounded pilots.
"Can I get you a tea or coffee, Captain?"