Sub-zero conditions in chilly Finland met Typhoons from 41 Test & Evaluation Squadron (TES) based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Exercise Snow Rider.
Hosted by the Finnish Air Force Academy, the pilots from 41 TES honed their skills in winter operations, pushing and testing the Typhoon. Hard packed snow, icy runways and temperatures which were often below freezing, made conditions even more demanding.
The aim of this activity was challenging: to expand Typhoon’s capability to operate on runways with less surface friction. Activities like this are the role of 41 TES, whose primary focus is Typhoon capability expansion and tactics development.
Testing activity took place at Tikkakoski Air Base in Jyväskylä and Halli Air Base in Jämsä from January to February. In close co-operation with their Finnish Air Force colleagues, personnel from QinetiQ and 41 TES developed techniques to improve the RAF’s ability to operate Typhoon in austere, freezing conditions.
Cold hard science was used to assess how well the Typhoon could be landed on icy surface conditions. Water was used to create a test strip of ice on the runway and 285 friction measurements were taken down the runway to facilitate the testing.
Flight Lieutenant Louis King, 41 TES Operations Officer, said: “With the Finnish air being so dry, we had to create our own reduced friction surfaces by spraying water and letting it freeze. The Airfield Maintenance team would then drive their friction reader down the runway to get an accurate surface friction until we had obtained the correct conditions to test.”
For 20-year-old RAF Coningsby Photographer AS1 Joshua Whiting, Exercise SNOW RIDER was his first time overseas with work, and his first time ever to Finland. He said: “Finland is beautiful, but it was seriously cold. Because of the temperatures they were careful about how to take off and land, and I had to be patient. It’s a very dry sort of cold, and as soon as your outside for about thirty seconds your fingers will turn blue if you’re not wearing the proper clothes.”
Air Marshal Alan Marshall, the RAF Air and Space Commander said: “Returning to Finland to work with our Finnish Air Force colleagues is always highly rewarding and valuable. They are adept and well-versed in the agile employment of air assets, particularly in cold weather conditions. Exercise SNOW RIDER has been a great success and once again demonstrated our capability to operate in all environments.”
