Poseidon's Rage 2022 (PR22) is a bilateral military exercise with the participation of the military forces of Greece and the USA and is held between 11 and 20 July 2022 at Chania/Ioannis Daskalogiannis air base (Soúda Bay, Isle of Crete).
The exercise is being held for the second year in a row now and sees the participation of the 48th Fighter Wing from RAF Lakenheath (UK), this time a first for the 5th generation F-35A Lightning II.
PR22 is designed to bolster readiness and interoperability between the USAF and Hellenic Air Force (HAF), by demonstrating localized air superiority through the incorporation of both live and inert munitions. The area of exercise will include the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
The various scenarios include? familiarization flights, Basic Defense Maneuver flights, combat training between different types of aircraft, Air Combat, Low Altitude Shipping with Virtual Attacks of Surface Targets, Joint Tactical Air Controller – JTAC missions, Offense – Support Naval Forces and live firing at the shooting ranges.
Greece Poseidons Rage 2022 patch 320First time in this exercise are: - Joint operational training development of US 4th and 5th generation Fighter Aircraft in Greece? - deployment of an entire Fighter Squadron to another base to test the possibility of agile development in one of the most important forward bases for the NATO to perform missions towards North Africa, the Middle East, but also towards the Balkans, with the allies constantly highlighting their strategic role as confirmed during the war in Ukraine? - Execution of training live firing by the F-35A in the US European Command (USEUCOM) area of responsibility.
Participants in PR22 are:
Hellenic Air Force F-16C/D Block 52 Fighting Falcons from 340 Mira Alepou / Alepou (Fox) at Chania/Ioannis Daskalogiannis F-16C/D Block 52 Fighting Falcons from 343 Mira Asteri / Asteri (Star) at Chania/Ioannis Daskalogiannis USAFE 14x F-15E Strike Eagle from 494th Fighter Squadron Panthers 10x F-35A Lightning II from 495th Fighter Squadron Valkyries
Also participating are various Greek Air Defense Systems units in Crete, Greek Naval Units and JTAC Elements of the Special Warfare Command of the Greek Armed Forces.
U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles, assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, arrive for exercise Poseidon’s Rage at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 8, 2022. The 494th is one of two Fighter Squadrons, deployed from the 48th Fighter Wing, in support of exercise Poseidon’s Rage. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lighting II, assigned to the 495th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, arrives in support of exercise Poseidon’s Rage at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 7, 2022. Exercises like this help to achieve localized air superiority, and strengthen the NATO Alliance. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)Hellenic air force Col. Tsikalakis Michail, deputy commander of the 115 Combat Wing, greets U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle Pilot, Capt. Stepan Volnychev, 494th Fighter Squadron, after landing in support of exercise Poseidon’s Rage at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 7, 2022. Integrating with NATO allies during exercises like Poseidon’s Rage helps to bolster the alliance, by exchanging best practices, improving readiness and interoperability. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lighting II, assigned to the 495th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, arrives at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 7, 2022. The fifth-generation aircraft will be participating in exercise Poseidon’s Rage, to bolster U.S.-Hellenic readiness and interoperability. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, is marshaled after landing for exercise Poseidon’s Rage at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 8, 2022. The 494th is one of two fighter squadrons, deployed from the 48th Fighter Wing, in support of exercise Poseidon’s Rage. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)A U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, lands in support of exercise Poseidon’s Rage at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 8 2022. Integrating with NATO allies and partners during exercises like Poseidon’s Rage helps to bolster the alliance, by exchanging best practices, improving readiness and interoperability. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Grant Thompson, 494th Fighter Squadron director of operations from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, pilots an F-15E Strike Eagle after landing for exercise Poseidon’s Rage at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 8, 2022. Poseidon’s Rage is a large force employment exercise designed to integrate joint capabilities with NATO-Hellenic forces, validating United States Air Forces in Europe’s fourth and fifth-generation deployment capabilities. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles, assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, arrive at Souda Air Base for exercise Poseidon’s Rage, July 8, 2022. Poseidon’s Rage is a large force employment exercise designed to integrate joint capabilities with NATO-Hellenic forces, validating United States Air Forces in Europe’s fourth and fifth-generation deployment capabilities. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)
