Today, more than 100 spotters traveled to Air Base No. 11 (BA11), in Beja, to photograph some of the aircraft participating in the RealThaw and HotBlade 2024 multinational exercises.
The day started early for lovers of aeronautical photography, with the first vehicle entering the base at 6:45 am.
After carrying out In Processing, the spotters visited the aprons where some of the aircraft included in the exercise were parked, and then watched the take-offs and landings in the morning and afternoon.
On this "Spotters Day" the Portuguese aircraft KC-390, AW119 Koala and EH-101 Merlin took off from BA11, in addition to aircraft from the other participating countries, such as the French Mirage 2000 and E3-F, the F-16M and C- 27J, the Danish C-130J, the Austrian AB212, the Swiss AS532 and the L-159 from the Czech Republic.
At the end of the afternoon, the spotters were given the opportunity to photograph up close the signs where the exercise helicopters are parked. Upon leaving, at the end of the day, the spotters also received the participation "kit" which contained merchandise relating to the exercise, thus immortalizing RealThaw and HotBlade 2024's Spotters Day.
RealThaw and HotBlade 2024 runs until June 5th with the aim of increasing the interoperability of operations, exposing participants to a complex and challenging environment.
