Swiss Air Force Practises Night Flying Skills At RAF Leeming

Three squadrons of Hornet jet fighter pilots from the Swiss air force have taken up residence at RAF Leeming, Yorkshire, to hone their night flying skills.

The exercise, named 'Exercise YorkNite 2020', gives the pilots half the night-flying hours required for their entire year’s training.

Opportunities for night flying are limited in Switzerland, as it is landlocked with a dense population prone to disgruntlement when noisy jets fly over in the middle of the night.

Captain Maurice Mattle, Swiss Fighter Squadron 18, said the Swiss mountains also pose problems - risking avalanches if the planes fly too low.

"We cannot really fly very low but, in the low parts, the air is much more dense so the jet has much more energy, much more power," he said.

"We can train that really good here over the sea."

The exercise is run by the Swiss, with three Hornet squadrons rotating through over a four-week period. 

But RAF Leeming has been assisting with aspects such as refuelling and air traffic control.

Sergeant Ryan Edwards, Air Traffic Controller at RAF Leeming, said the pilots come across as "top level" and said there are "no language barriers" between air traffic control and the pilots.

The Swiss were unsure if the exercise could go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic until the last moment.

However, adaptations were made and Lieutenant Colonel Aldo Wicki, Commander of YorkNite 2020, said the Swiss air force is "deeply indebted" to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for being able to complete the exercise under "very difficult circumstances".

"Your squadrons are very experienced... your pilots are experienced pilots with lots of experience from life missions and this makes this exercise even more interesting and of more value to us," he said.