For the first time, the French Air Force will the 2021 iteration of exercise Atlantic Trident from May 17 to 28 at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base, 100 kms south of Bordeaux. The exercise aims to enhance fourth and fifth generation integration, combat readiness, and fighting capabilities among the French Air and Space Force, the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force. Participants will test and improve shared technical and tactical knowledge, while conducting complex air operations in a contested multinational joint forces environment.
Exercise Atlantic Trident is a demonstration of the transatlantic link in NATO and another example of three Allies operating cutting-edge technology to protect European skies. The findings of the integration of modern generation aircraft into existing Air Power capabilities during Atlantic Trident will also inform NATO concepts as other Allies start operating and integrating new aircraft such as the F-35 fighter or the A400M transport and the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft. Scheduled training will involve a combination of flight operations and computer-assisted scenarios.
The first Atlantic Trident took place in December 2015, with the same cast of characters, minus the F-35. As the inaugural event, it centered on the logistics of the allied partners getting to Langley and operating at a high tempo. That first exercise was a public event, with air chiefs from all three countries appearing at a press conference in front of their respective jets. Though the three air forces have flown together extensively in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Atlantic Trident provided an opportunity to address the high-end threat.
