Earlier this month the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General Rob Magowan CBE, paid a visit to the Spanish and German Maritime Patrol Aircraft Detachments, based in Djibouti.

The Spanish Detachment Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Bayardo Abós, briefed the Operation Commander on current operations and the latest in-flight technology to assist EU NAVFOR warships during their counter-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia.

The two maritime air detachments, which are based at the French Air Base 188, provide air surveillance support to the European Union’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta.

The P-3C Orion is the perfect aircraft for EU NAVFOR as it is able to conduct extensive aerial patrols along the Somali coast to look for any potential pirate activity, capture high quality imagery and conduct radar surface searches and surveillance.  All this capability comes with the inherent ability of speed, flexibility, endurance and range.

During his visit Major General Rob Magowan addressed both Spanish and German crews and thanked them for the valuable contribution that they make to the success of Operation Atalanta.