Welcome to Runway28.nl

Welcome to Runway 28. On this website you will find everything which is related to the modern military aviation. The reason why I have chosen the name of Runway 28 is simple. Runway 28 is the name of the main runway at the airbase of Gilze-Rijen. The hobby around the modern military aviation started a long time ago for me at this base. Nowadays, I still consider Gilze-Rijen as my home base. Because of this, there are a lot of pictures of the helicopters of the Defense Helicopter Command on this site. This website is my personal port- folio which is related to aviation photography. Runway 28 was launched in 2007. At that moment the website was not what it supposed to be. The development of this website from scratch until final product which is shown here has lasted two years at least. For me it was the first time I have built a web page like this. This web site became a comprehensive collection of photo- graphs and travelogues in the meanwhile.

In the trip reports section of this web page you can find story’s of my journeys in my own country and abroad. The trip reports are listed chronologically by year. The trip reports section tells us how I experienced the journeys in a personal style. Also they contain many informative aspects of units, locations and types of aircraft. Next to this each report contains an extensive photo report which makes the report complete. In the photo gallery I show especially my pictures which I’ve made at my own home base Gilze-Rijen and De Oirschotse Heide. Those areas are regular visited by me. Besides the pictures from my surroundings, I also publish my photos of reports that I've made throughout Europe which didn’t made it to the trip reports section. These series are not comprehensive enough for that section, but certainly worth showing here in the gallery. This site contain also an overview of all my publications next to al those reports. These articles may be published in several magazines but also they can be published on the Internet. The complete articles including the accompanying photos can most of the time be found in the magazines while on the internet most of the time only photos are published. Almost all articles which I have written for the magazines are also published on this website in the trip reports section. Enjoy reading these stories’s and watch the photo reports on this website.

With Kind Regards, Alex van Noye

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Danish Contribution to Task Force 473

Mission Clemenceau, part 6; Charles de Gaulle, March 25 & 26, 2019

During Mission Clemenceau, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is guided by several ships from different partner countries in the Carrier Strike Group. For the Danish Navy it is the first time that a Frigate will sail along in a Carrier Strike Group. This Frigate is the Niels Juel, and has one EH101 Merlin on board. The Merlin is from the 722 Squadron which is based at the Danish airbase Karup. The most important objective for the Danes is the international partnership with the partner countries of Denmark like France and the French Navy.

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Helicopter Support on Board

Mission Clemenceau, part 5; Charles de Gaulle, March 25 & 26, 2019

In addition to the operations with the Rafale on board the Charles de Gaulle, there are also a number of helicopters on deck which are on standby to intervene. On the French aircraft carrier there are a number of SA365 Dauphin helicopters for SAR duties and an NH90 NFH Caiman for PR duties and anti-submarine tasks. The SA365 Dauphin is the primary SAR helicopter aboard the CdG. The crew of the Dauphin consists of four crew members during a typical SAR standby. The detachment of the 35 Flottille has two SA365 Dauphin's on board.

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Rafale Marine Operations at Sea

Mission Clemenceau, part 4; Charles de Gaulle, March 25 & 26, 2019

Preparations for Mission Clemenceau have started months before the cruise was started. The fighter pilots of the 12 Flottille and the 17 Flottille have taken part in exercises during the preparation and have again achieved their deck landing qualifications. They are ready for deployment after two months of preparation. Until the end of 2016, the 17 Flottille was operational with the Dassault Super Etendard. This aircraft is now completely replaced by the Rafale in the French Navy. The 17 Flottille currently consists of fifteen pilots aboard the CdG.

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Surveillance with the Hawkeye

Mission Clemenceau, part 3; Charles de Gaulle, March 25 & 26, 2019

The French Navy has a total of three Grumman E-2C Hawkeye radar aircraft in use which can be deployed aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. These E-2Cs are important for the deployment of the Rafales and are used as a flying radar station. Two E-2C Hawkeye aircraft are available during Mission Clemenceau and Mission Chammal. The French Navy currently uses three E-2C Hawkeyes. These aircraft are assigned to the 4 Flottille. The planes are land based at Lorient/Lann-Bihoué in Brittany in western France.

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Deployment During Mission Chammal

Mission Clemenceau, part 2; Charles de Gaulle, March 25 & 26, 2019

An important part of Mission Clemenceau was the deployment of Rafale aircraft in the fight against IS/ISIS/Daesh. The Charles de Gaulle was deployed in March 2019, to provide support from the sea during the French Mission Chammal against the terror caliphate in Syria and Iraq. Bombing missions against targets in Syria and Iraq were carried out from the sea with Marine Rafales. The most common missions are typical CAS missions (Close Air Support), DCA missions (Defense Counter Air) and Recce missions (reconnaissance flights).

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The Carrier Battle Group

Mission Clemenceau, part 1; Charles de Gaulle, March 25 & 26, 2019

A Carrier Battle Group consists of an aircraft carrier and a large number of escorting vessels. A Carrier Battle Group is one of the most powerful maritime weapons of our time. During Mission Clemenceau, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and his battle group sails via the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. The Task Force that sails around the Charles de Gaulle consists of several ships which have different tasks. In addition to all the French ships along the CSG, the French Navy also works together in a international context.

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