The Brazilian Air Force organized the international exercise Cruzex 2024 involving 16 countries and more than 50 aircraft, held at the Natal air base, in the north-east of Brazil, from 3 to 15 November 2024. In addition to the entire Brazilian air force, the other air forces involved were those of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, USA, Portugal with the presence of observers from South Africa, Germany, Canada, Ecuador, Italy, France, Sweden and Uruguay.
Cruzex began in 2002 with its first edition, with the participation of Brazil, Argentina and France, followed by those of 2004, with the participation of Venezuela, in addition to Brazil, Argentina and France, and then 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and the last one in 2018, seeing new participants in each subsequent edition.
Natal was chosen as the operational base thanks to the reduced presence of civil air traffic in addition to the presence of areas suitable for operating at low altitude and for the launch of paratroopers.
The Cruzex 2024 exercise, planned and conducted by the Brazilian Air Force, allows crews to practice combined air combat operations, allowing different countries to operate in war scenarios in an integrated and cooperative manner, promoting the sharing of tactics and operational experiences.
As stated by the Commander of the exercise, General Ricardo Guerra Rezende, the purpose of the Cruzex exercise is to increase and strengthen cooperation and relations between the participating air forces, sharing their experiences together within the COMAO composite air operations and in conventional warfare missions, including cyber operations.
In fact, the realization of the largest joint exercise in Latin America, after the last edition in 2018, with the editions not carried out due to the pandemic, has the aim of increasing interoperability between the different air forces involved, promoting joint training in challenging operational training scenarios.
The 2024 edition sees the introduction of a new element, namely the cyber domain. This edition has in fact extended the ordinary exercises with the integration of the cyber aspect to air operations. Aiming to increase situational awareness in the face of modern conflict challenges, Cyber Cruzex used a Capture The Flag (CTF) to verify and improve the security of critical systems that support air operations.
During the 13-day operation, the focus was on training and readiness of flight assets. In addition, escort, aerial refueling, air surveillance, reconnaissance, close air support (CAS), combat air patrol, intelligence, airborne troop drop, recovery and exfiltration missions were conducted.
The participating aircraft were, on the Brazilian side, the F-5EM, A-1 (AMX in the Italian denomination), F-39 Gripen, A-29B, C-99, C-105, KC-390, E-99M and H-36, in addition to the A-4s of the Brazilian Navy’s VF-1, while the other participants included the Argentine IA-63 Pampa and KC-130H, Chilean F-16C/D and KC-135, a Colombian KC-767, F-15Cs of the 159FW of the Louisiana ANG and a KC-46, AT-27 and C.212 of Paraguay, KT-1P and KC-130 of Peru and a Portuguese KC-390.
On the Brazilian side, the main focus of the Cruzex 2024 exercise was on the operational debut of the new SAAB F-39 Gripen E and the Embraer KC 390 Millennium, which represent the future of the Brazilian Air Force for the coming decades.
The end of 2022 marked the entry into service of the new Gripen E at the 1st Group in Anapolis and this edition marks its first participation in an international training event. On the contrary, Cruzex 2024 sees the farewell of the A-1AM/BM with the Brazilian Air Force and the A-4 with the Navy, scheduled for the end of 2025.
Chosen in 2013, the Gripen will represent the backbone of the Brazilian Air Force in the near future. Brazil has ordered 36 of them, divided into 28 single-seaters and 8 two-seaters. The production of the single-seater version shows a solid collaboration between Sweden and Brazil, with 13 examples produced in Sweden and the rest in Brazil. Currently, 8 units have been delivered. The rest of the current Brazilian Air Force is represented by third-generation aircraft, undergoing upgrade programs.
The F-5E/F saw a modernization of the electronic component in the early 2000s, with the introduction of a new radar, new sensors, the installation of multifunctional displays in the cockpit and new self-defense systems. The program was called F-5M and conducted by Embraer, Elbit systems and AEL Eletronica. A total of 49 aircraft were subjected to the modernization program.
Currently in service there are 30 F-5Ms divided between the two Flight Groups in Santa Cruz and Canoas, and it is expected that they will remain in service until 2030. It should be noted that the eight F-5Es purchased from Jordan have never flown with the FAB (Brazilian Air Force) but have only served as sources of spare parts.
In 1998 the purchase of 23 A-4 Skyhawks from Kuwait represented the step for the reconstitution of the Brazilian Naval Aviation and its aircraft carrier Sao Paulo. The A-4 Skyhawks of the Marinha do Brasil were also subjected to a modernization program in 2007. The program included the introduction of a new radar, modern avionics and self-defense systems, multifunctional displays, as for the F-5. Eleven A-4s have received the upgrade, and currently only eight remain in service, based in Santa Maria, where they are expected to remain in service until 2025.
The A-1AM/BM; or AMX, developed in cooperation with Italy, was also subjected to a modernization program in Brazil in 2007, with the introduction of a new radar and new avionics and self-protection systems, new multifunctional displays, the Brazilian A-1s will also be retired from service towards the end of 2025.
The A-29 Super-Tucano was developed to equip the FAB with a turbo-propeller suitable for patrolling over the Amazon and intercepting slow-movers used by narco-traffickers. Thanks to its maneuverability, engine power and glass-cockpit, the Super Tucano has been a sales success abroad for Embraer, with around 260 units sold to 21 air forces around the world.
In 2007, Embraer began a project to replace the Brazilian C-130s. The prototype of the new transport and refueling aircraft, KC-390 Millennium, first flew in 2015. Equipped with a fully digital cabin, modern avionics, make the KC-390 the most important aircraft ever produced in the southern hemisphere. Able to operate from unpaved runways, it is capable of carrying out tactical transport, air-to-air refueling, troop evacuation and medical missions.
Currently, in addition to Brazil, other countries use or have ordered it, such as Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, Czech Republic, Morocco, United Arab Emirates and Chile.
Cruzex 2024 has once again proven to be the largest international exercise in South America as well as its usefulness in comparing and improving operational skills among Latin American air forces and will continue to keep pace with aeronautical technological innovation in the near future.
Text and images: Andrea Avian