Under the early morning light of June 26, 2022, Beja Air Base in Portugal began to stir with an unusual intensity. Normally serene runways and hangars quickly became the epicenter of one of Europe’s most demanding multinational military air exercises — Exercise Real Thaw 2022. For the next two weeks, this historic base in the Alentejo region would host nearly a thousand military personnel, a diverse array of aircraft, and an array of missions designed to stretch the interoperability and tactical skills of NATO and partner forces to their limits.
The Portuguese Air Force, as the host and lead organizer of Real Thaw, orchestrated the event with an eye toward realism and complexity. This annual exercise, rooted in joint and combined operations training, aimed to prepare participating units for the uncertain demands of contemporary missions — where air, land, and sea domains intersect with multinational command dynamics. Portugal committed a substantial force: a fleet of 10 F-16AMs drawn from its well-regarded 201st Squadron “Falcões” and 301st Squadron “Jaguares”, augmented by rotary wing and transport assets such as two AW-119 Koala helicopters from the 552nd Squadron “Zangões”, an EH-101 Merlin of the 751st Squadron “Pumas”, and additional aircraft including a C-130H Hercules from the 501st Squadron and a C-295M Persuader from the 502nd Squadron. The maritime patrol role was represented by P-3C CUP+ Orions of the 601st Squadron “Lobos”, which regularly operate from Beja.
But the Portuguese participation was only the beginning of a broader coalition. Across the sun-baked tarmac arrived coalition jets representing Belgium, France, Spain, and the United States, as well as specialist teams from Lithuania and the Netherlands. Belgium contributed a contingent of six F-16AMs from its 31st Squadron “Tigers”, weaving into the training tapestry alongside Spanish Eurofighter Typhoons drawn from Ala 11 based at Morón, and a French detachment of five Dassault Rafales from Escadron 2/30 “Normandie-Niemen”. France also brought strategic and support assets including an E-3F AWACS and an Airbus A330 MRTT refueling tanker, expanding the scenarios beyond pure fighter operations into integrated battlefield support.
The United States’ contribution was particularly notable in scale and integration. From Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, the 480th Fighter Squadron of the 52nd Fighter Wing deployed 18 F-16CM Fighting Falcons along with approximately 320 Airmen — pilots, maintainers, and support personnel who would operate side by side with their NATO counterparts. A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall extended the coalition’s reach by offering critical aerial refueling capabilities that allowed fighters to remain on station longer and practice extended missions. Meanwhile, Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) from Portugal, Belgium, the United States, Lithuania, and the Netherlands brought invaluable precision in coordinating close air support and ground-air integration.
From its opening ceremony, presided over by Portugal’s Air Commander, Lieutenant General António Branco, to the closing salute on July 8, the narrative of Real Thaw 2022 was one of immersion and collaboration. The skies above Beja and the vast training ranges over land and sea became arenas for defensive and offensive counter-air training, airborne refueling missions, air movement and assault operations, combat search and rescue drills, and coordinated close air support. Portuguese AW101 Merlins and AW119 Koalas provided tactical helicopter support, special operations insertion and extraction, and medical evacuation scenarios, while fixed-wing aircraft focused on air combat maneuvering, interdiction, and escort missions in environments that forced pilots and commanders alike to adapt on the fly.
Beyond the aircraft themselves, Real Thaw underscored the essential role of support and logistics. Maintenance crews worked around the clock beneath engines and airframes, ensuring that each sortie could launch on time. Air traffic controllers, force protection units, ground combat teams and paratroopers from the Portuguese Army, naval special actions detachments, and allied JTAC teams seamlessly blended into the operational tempo. Conversations over flight data and mission outcomes — often conducted in a mix of English and native tongues — were as critical to success as the tactical engagements themselves.
When the final aircraft pulled back into parking stands and the last flags were lowered, Real Thaw 2022 had achieved far more than training objectives alone. It had reaffirmed Portugal’s central role as a hub for NATO’s collective air readiness, strengthened bonds between allied units, and offered each participant a wealth of lessons in joint operations under complexity and pressure. In the aftermath, the lessons learned — in the skies over the Alentejo and on the ground at Beja — continued to shape how these air forces prepare for the challenges of tomorrow’s operational environments.