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| Exercise Iniochos 2024 Air Tactics Centre (Kentro Aeroporikis Taktikis – KEAT) 117 Combat Wing Andravida Air Base April 8 to 18, 2024 |
The Iniochos/Iniohos (Charioteer in Greek) concept started in November 2013 when planning picked up pace for April's Iniochos 2014 then attended exclusively by Hellenic Air Force (HAF) units. Iniochos 2015 was the first multi-national invitational exercise (INVITEX). Every year since the exercise has principally operated from Andravida. Iniochos 2024, as with previous year's exercises, covered a wide spectrum of air scenarios in order to achieve the objectives set. These included a range of missions such as; Offensive Counter Air Operations (OCA), Air Defence Operations (ADO), Counter Surface Force Operations (CSFO) including Air Power Contribution to Land Ops (APCLO) and Air Power Contribution to Maritime Ops (APCMO), RECCE missions, Combat Search And Rescue missions, Time Sensitive Target missions, Dynamic Targeting, High Value Airborne Asset missions and Slow Mover. |
| Blue Air available for the mission planners Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia) 4 x General Dynamics F-16C Block 30 Fighting Falcon with 330 'Thunderbolt' All Weather Squadron, 111 Combat Wing based at Néa Anchialos. 5 x General Dynamics F-16C Block 50 Fighting Falcon with 347 'Perseus' All Weather Squadron, 111 Combat Wing based at Néa Anchialos. 4 x General Dynamics F-16C Block 52+ Fighting Falcon with 343 'Star' Squadron, 115 Wing based at Soúda, Crete. 4 x General Dynamics F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon from 336 'Olympos' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos. 4 x General Dynamics F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon from 335 'Tiger' Squadron, 116 Wing based at Araxos. (12) x McDonnell Douglas F-4E (AUP) Phantoms from 338 Mira based at Andravida, 4 x Dassault Rafale DG/EG with 332 MPK (Mira Pantos Kerou / All Weather Squadron) 'Geraki', 114 Wing based at Tanágra. 4 x Dassault Mirage 2000-5EG/BG from 331 Mira, 114 Wing, based at Tanágra, Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire) 4 x McDonnell Douglas EF-18M Hornet of 462 Escuadrón 'Halcones' (Falcons), Ala 46 (46th Wing) based at Gando Air Base, Gran Canaria. Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) 2 x Eurofighter Typhoon F2 with 3 Squadron, 2 Wing, based at King Fahad Air Base, Taif, 3 x Eurofighter Typhoon F2/T3 with 10 Squadron, 2 Wing, based at King Fahad Air Base, Taif, 1 x Eurofighter Typhoon F2 with 80 Squadron, 2 Wing, based at King Fahad Air Base, Taif. Romanian Air Force (Fortele Aeriene Române) 3 x General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon with 53rd Fighter Squadron 'Warhawks' (Escadrila 53) at 86th Air Base 'Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociornita' (Baza 86 Aeriana) at Borcea/Fetesti, Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF) 4 x Dassault Rafale EQ with 1 Squadron 'Al Adiyat' (The War Horses), Flying Wing 6 based at Tamim, 1 x Dassault Rafale DQ with 1 Squadron, Flying Wing 6 based at Tamim. French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale) 7 x Dassault Rafale M with Flottille 11F, 12F and 17F based at Landivisiau Naval Air Base. US Air Force Cancelled Israeli Air Force Cancelled |
| My personal view of Iniochos 2024 In 2015 I was the only person from the UK to attend the first Iniochos Exercise attended by invited foreign air forces. I wrote an article for Aviation News the INVITEX exercise it also featured in my book; Thunder Through The Valleys. In those early days it was only a media event, without the spotter days we now have. Each year since longer and longer queues have formed outside the air base gate for the spotter days, now there is a 20 euro charge and coaches shuttle the enthusiasts to the edge of the runway. This year I was confronted with spotters standing on plastic steps and the rope boundary preventing any chance of unobstructed photography. Hill photography in the Peloponnese mountains during the week was another revalation to me. I was to find 50 to 100 photographers perched on the only east side hillside rock in the preferred valley. This rock is the place to go, for years I have been saying that there is no Greek Mach' Loop, well apparently there is now. On some days there were up to 12 low flying passes, on other days nothing. So used to seeing very few passes each day, now they are more regular through this particular valley. I can't say I enjoyed this experience as much as in previous years, when finding the low flyers was a real challenge. So rather than writing a more detailed piece on the exercise, this year I have chosen to feature some images from the many people I knew and those I met for the first time on the hillsides. I do miss poor Panos who is no longer with us and was my much valued mentor for low flying in Greece and one of my best friends. |
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| That's me in the foreground, shooting F-4E(AUP) Phantom II (01520) with 338 Mira passing through the valley. An outstanding image, photographed as intended by Elwyn Roberts. |
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| Left to right: Relaxing and waiting with Koji Nakano and my old friends from Hungary; Zoltán Tóth and Endre Karpati. |
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| This is my image of F-4E(AUP) Phantom II (01520) from the same pass, albeit a second or two earlier. This is why so many photographer's come to Greece. |
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