[Sweden]: Operation Talc

[Connor]

OPERATION TALC SWEDISH ARMED FORCES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

---

OFFICIAL OPERATION ORDER
APRIL 2002
TOP SECRET​

---

Situation Report
Following the establishment of the Transatlantic Security Arrangement there has been continued bipartisan support in Stockholm for the furthering of the relationship between Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Official sources, state media and social media have recently reported on the dispute of territory, namely Puerto Rico, between Spain and the United States. This situation has continued to develop which has resulted in the expulsion of the Ambassador for Spain to the United States, corroborated by a statement released by the White House, and it remains clear from official records that the Spanish government remain true to their objective to regain territorial claim of the island. Swedish Department of Defence analysts understand this to be a credible threat to Swedish international interests and that of their friends, allies and partners; this is exacerbated by a clear regional intelligence gap as a direct result of delays experienced by Operation Boron. On this basis operational orders within Operation Talc will dynamically develop Spanish intelligence.

Belligerents

Kingdom of Sweden

v.

Kingdom of Spain

Objective(s)
OT/1/PP/98 - COMPLETE - Primary maintenance tasks, pre-deployment ammunition provision and supply of essential services/assets.
OT/1/TR/02 - COMPLETE - Tactical relocation of aerial support assets to rendezvous point in the Celtic Sea.
OT/2/TR/02 - COMPLETE - Tactical relocation of primary aerial assets to rendezvous point in the Celtic Sea for replenishment.
OT/1/AW/02 - COMPLETE - Dissemination of TASA Military Activity Alert in respect to OT/1/TR/98 and OT/2/TR/98.
OT/1/IN/02 - ACTIVE - Preliminary aerial early warning and control measures of Iberian Peninsula.
OT/1/AR/02 - COMPLETE - Aerial refuelling of primary aerial assets at the rendezvous point.
OT/3/TR/02 - COMPLETE - Tactical relocation of primary aerial assets to mission objective within the Bay of Biscay.
OT/1/OF/02 - COMPLETE - Penetration of Spanish airspace by primary aerial assets to test and elicit response.
OT/4/TR/02 - ACTIVE - Tactical relocation of all aerial assets to rendezvous point in the Celtic Sea for replenishment.

Casualty Report
Nothing to report

Campaign Register
Nothing to report

Deployment

Skaraborg Air Force Wing [Såtenäs Air Base] 1st Tanker Flight​ [3x] Active Personnel​ [1x] Airbus A310 MRTT-D​ X X X X X X

Blekinge Air Force Wing [Ronneby Air Base] 4th Fighter Squadron​ 1st Fighter Flight​ [6x] Active Personnel​ [6x] Saab JAS 39E Gripen​ 1st Air Control Squadron​ 1st Air Control Flight​ [6x] Active Personnel​ [1x] Saab 340 AEW&C​

---

Copyright © Swedish Armed Forces, Kingdom of Sweden
All information is subject to the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995​

 

[Connor]

TOP SECRET
Preparation and Deployment
April 2002

The deployment of military assets from the Kingdom of Sweden to foreign territory or targets requires the authorisation of both the incumbent Prime Minister and the Secretary of Defence, however immediately upon ratification of these operational orders the dissemination to the relevant branch(es) of the military is almost instantaneous. Within a matter of minutes the Swedish Royal Air Force received their orders via the appropriate chain of command which consequently prompted the preparation of aircraft across Ronneby Air Base which housed the six Saab JAS 39E Gripen and Saab 340 AEW&C, and Såtenäs Air Base which houses the Airbus MRTT-D. Naturally all aircraft within the Swedish Royal Air Force remain in an operation condition and fully fuelled on a regular basis in the event of an emergent deployment however this did not negate the need for pre-flight checks. Personnel responsible for each aircraft would take the time to assess the exterior of the aircraft as well as check all operational systems, sensors and instruments onboard for suitability for flight. Each aircraft would also have their countermeasures replenished and checked, in additional to a total refuelling if required.

Ordinarily the Airbus MRTT-D and to some degree the Saab 340 AEW&C would operate with an armed escort, given their inability to host any form of armament. Given the covert nature of the operation coupleD with the fact there is no obvious immediate or credible threat to these aircraft which will largely be operating within international airspace, it was determined that the cost of a fighter escort at this range would significantly outweigh the operational risk assessment of this operation

Once all aircraft completed their pre-flight checklist, all active personnel would board. The aircraft, excluding the fighter jets, would make their way to the runway and depart en route to the designated rendezvous point in the Celtic Sea. Throughout the journey all aircraft would operate with their systems and sensors active and monitored throughout, as well as liaising with the necessary civilian and military Air Traffic Control.

In the meantime each Saab JAS 39E Gripen would be equipped with six IRIS-T (Rb.98) missiles and a FLIR pod. Two of the six aircraft would also be equipped with a ALQ-TLS electronic countermeasures pod and Digital Joint Reconnaissance pod.

Flight path is via sectors JO > IN.

 

[Connor]

TOP SECRET
Transatlantic Security Arrangement
April 2002

CLASSSIFIED - TASA MILITARY ACTIVITY ALERT​

SWEDISH DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE
SWEDISH ARMED FORCES HEADQUARTERS, STOCKHOLM
OT/1/TR/02 - OT/2/TR/02
APRIL 2002​

OPERATION TALC


*** START MESSAGE ***






MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, UNITED KINGDOM
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

EUROPEAN THEATRE ACTIVE WARNING
MESSAGE OF ADVANCED WARNING DENOTING THE SWEDISH ARMED FORCES OPERATING ASSETS WITHIN IN THE FOLLOWING DEFINED REGIONS:

1: IBERIAN PENINSULA
2: CELTIC SEA​

DEFINED REGIONS INCLUDE RECOGNISED SECTORS 'JO' (JULIET OSCAR) AND 'IN' (INDIA NOVEMBER).

AERIAL MILITARY ASSETS OPERATING LAWFUL MILITARY ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE NATIONAL AIRSPACE AND WITH DUE REGARD AS REQUIRED BY THE CONFINES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW. OPERATIONAL ORDERS DESIGNATED CLASSIFICATION 'TOP SECRET' IN ACCORDANCE WITH SWEDISH DOMESTIC LAW.

RECIPIENTS TO OPERATE WITH DUE REGARD. PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE.







*** END MESSAGE ***

Jamie Odinson

 

[Connor]

TOP SECRET
Early Warning
April 2002

Upon the Airbus MRTT-D and Saab 340 AEW&C, operating under callsign "MUEL" and "SCOUT" respectively, reaching the midway point between their respective deployment air bases and that on the rendezvous point the additional six Saab JAS 39E Gripen would prepare to depart. Each aircraft manned by a single fighter pilot, once pre-flight checks had been completed, would taxi to the active runway of the air base and depart to meet the aerial refuelling aircraft over the Celtic Sea and ultimately enable onward progression of the operation. The six fighter aircraft would operate under callsign "CLUB" for the duration of this deployment. Throughout the flight the aircraft would fly in a vic formation of two elements, one behind the other. All aircraft would operate throughout their flight with their systems and sensors active and monitored throughout, as well as liaising with the necessary civilian and military Air Traffic Control. Each element and individual aircraft would remain in constant communication with one another via encrypted means.

Meanwhile, upon the arrival of the Saab 340 AEW&C in the Celtic Sea it would begin the passive monitoring of the Iberian Peninsula airspace and, where possible, ground radar wavelengths intercepted by the onboard sensors within the flight. Analysts onboard the aircraft would begins the identification of frequencies and where possible attribute these to commonly used European land systems on both civilian and military nature; using the intensity of these wavelengths at different coordinates to try and pinpoint their location on the ground. As it gathered more and more intelligence, the aircraft would move towards the Bay of Biscay however remaining outside the Spanish territorial limit thus within international airspace.

Zak

 

[Zak]

Santander, Spain​

ENCRYPTED
It had been a fast paced day at the air traffic control tower at Santander Airport, the most northerly civilian airport within Spain. Air traffic controllers had been busy at work safely directing and handling aircraft over Spain as they headed towards the rest of Europe, the rest of Spain and towards North and South America via the Atlantic Ocean. One of the controllers handling traffic over the Bay of Biscay had spotted an unidentified flight who had not checked in and immediately passed this over to his supervisor. The controller immediately pinpointed the exact location of the flight as he made a radio transmission.

"Unidentified aircraft, position 45.526991, -4.767961, this is Santander Area Control, please identify yourself."​

​

The supervisor within the control tower immediately passed the information onto his counterpart at the Direction des Services de la Navigation Aérienne within the French Civil Aviation Authority, not knowing that the aircraft were military aircraft, it was just aircraft that has not communicated with air traffic control within the region of the Bay of Biscay. On board the Swedish aircraft, they would not get any intelligence surrounding military radar frequencies due to the fact that Spain did not possess any military radar, only civilian at that.

Connor Alex

 

[Connor]

TOP SECRET
Contact
April 2002

The personnel onboard the Saab 340 AEW&C, anticipating contact from mainland Air Traffic Control at some point in time, would immediately respond to their communications. The aircraft would maintain a consistent altitude throughout its time within the Bay of Biscay and operate within a makeshift holding pattern which would allow for the electronic surveillance of the Spanish coastline - this being said the analysts onboard would very easily be able to decipher the frequencies of the civilian-based radar units and cross referencing the strengthened signal with local area mapping. It would be almost impossible to pinpoint an exact location of these radars however given that the strengthened frequencies were likely emitted, more often than not, nearby an airport, it would be a fair assumption to make that these were in-fact civilian radar units. The pilot would respond:

"Santander Area Control, Santander Area Control, copy. This is Swedish Royal Air Force aircraft SIERRA-CHARLIE-OSCAR-UNIFORM-TANGO. We are conducting routine area operations.Over."​

Obviously all radio contact would be recorded within the in-flight data recorder in addition to a locally held hard drive for informational analysis. The contact from the aircraft was intentionally vague as to not raise suspicion or tempt any unusual reaction from the Spanish - their identification at present was purely to enable the fighter aircraft chance to refuel and move into the primary objectives of the operation.

Fortunately, by this time, the Airbus MRTT-D would be at a suitable altitude at the pre-arranged coordinate points to allow for the refuelling of the aircraft. Once ready the operator would release the drogues, two of which were then trail behind the aircraft, one from each wingtip. Each element would then make contact with the aircraft one at a time, stating their intention to refuel and their current tank state before being authorised to move into the pre-contact position and acknowledging visual contact with the drogue. When safe to do so and upon authorisation from the operator, the fighter aircraft would move in to make contact with the drogue with their probe which ultimately enabled the pumping of fuel into the aircraft. Throughout this period the pilot would operate in order to maintain safe contact with the refueller. Contact would only be broken once refuelling was completely, allowing for the next two fighter aircraft to refuel. This would continue until all six aircraft were ready to continue the mission. Any aircraft already refuelled or waiting their turn would operate as an escort for the vulnerable aircraft.

Upon completion the Airbus MRTT-D would begin it's journey back towards Ronneby Airbase, Sweden for its own replenishment.

Zak

 

[Zak]

Santander, Spain​

ENCRYPTED
The transmission of Swedish Air Force within the Bay of Biscay came to a surprise of the controller who had been handling and directing aircraft within the sector, he passed this onto the supervisor in charge who flicked through the notes for the working day to see if anything had been communicated between the Swedish and Spanish Government about Sweden operating within the Bay of Biscay and found nothing of the sort. He immediately passed this through the appropriate encrypted channels to the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency who would then communicate the situation through encrypted channels to the Ministry of Defence.

"SIERRA-CHARLIE-OSCAR-UNIFORM-TANGO, this is Santander Area Control, you have been identified at position 45.526991, -4.767961, please state your intentions, you are operating within a busy air corridor, please turn left on a heading of 090 degrees to a clear corridor to continue your operations."​

​

Upon receiving communication from Santander Airport, the transmission(s) between the air traffic control tower and the Swedish Air Force aircraft would be monitored by the Spanish Air Force Operational Air Traffic Group based at Torrejón Air Base just outside Madrid with analysts monitoring the range and direction of the foreign aircraft.

Connor

 

[Connor]

TOP SECRET
Reinforce and Engage
April 2002

Following standardised protocol within the Swedish Royal Air Force the pilots onboard aircraft callsign SCOUT would issue their response, albeit complying with the direction to change heading as to reduce the likelihood of the up-and-coming mission objectives being compromised. Following the transmission over the public frequency, the aircraft would immediately make its turn.

"Santander Area Control, Santander Area Control, copy. Turn left heading ZERO-NINER-ZERO."​

Now, all aircraft within the operation orders had been fully fuelled the six Saab JAS 39E Gripen fighter jets gracefully streaked through the skies, their silhouettes cutting through the pristine air as they embarked on their mission. Their destination: Spain, via the Bay of Biscay. As the agile Gripen aircraft approached the Spanish coast, they weaved and maneuvered in a display of aerial prowess, designed to capture the attention of both radar operators and onlookers alike. The state-of-the-art stealth capabilities of the JAS 39E Gripen further intensified the challenge for radar systems, rendering the aircraft less detectable and adding to the intrigue of their presence.

Their purpose, however, was not to instigate fear or panic. Instead, this audacious display of power sought to demonstrate the advanced technological capabilities of the Kingdom of Sweden, while highlighting potential areas for improvement in civilian radar systems. Such tests are vital for assessing the effectiveness of current defense measures. Each aircraft now pinging as several individual unidentified blips.

This calculated taunt provided an opportunity for Spanish radar operators to evaluate their systems' response and identify an appropriate response. None of the fighter aircraft would respond to civilian air traffic control during their flight into territorial airspace.

Zak

 

[Connor]

TOP SECRET
Firm Penetration
June 2002

In a phenomenally unexpected, and almost unprecedented turn of events, the aircraft remained operating in their capacity within Spanish airspace without interception or further contact. Within the cockpit of each aircraft, required by Swedish domestic law, they would have an activated HUD cam visually recording some instrumental data as well as the view from the cockpit, almost like a dashcam. This would be essential for evidential purposes. The aircraft, remaining in formation, would make for a ridiculously concerning and obvious target on radar screens as their blips travel across Spain. The event showing a significant lack of capability in the Spanish Armed Forces. As they fly they'd remain in contact with one another via encrypted radio transmissions which would enable them to report on any notable instrumental responses which may threaten the flight... however up to now there'd been nothing. Each continued to carry their missiles.

Working in a similar capacity the earlier contacted Saab 340 AEW&C which had by now easily identified the civilian radar systems earlier detecting their flight, would continue to monitor airspace within the range of the aircrafts sensor capability. Now only would it be continually monitoring local communication signals, but also serve in its early warning capacity for, again, anything that may threaten the aircraft operating within territorial airspace. Where possible, this aircraft would remain in international airspace noting that it were significantly less manoeuvrable than the fighter jets.

Following a lack of any kind of response from the Spanish, the aircraft would complete a loop having now successfully penetrated without any kind of interception. All aircraft would begin to return to the original rendezvous point in the Celtic sea.

Zak

 

[Connor]

TOP SECRET
Termination
December 2003

Order issued by the Department of Defence would see the immediate termination of Operation Talc. Following a dynamic assessment within the department and associated agencies, it has been determined that the active threat towards Swedish interests are significantly diminished when compared to the establishment of this operation. All and any remaining materiel would be ordered back to home port/base or alternate operation deployment in accordance with any subsidiary orders. Following a review the operation will remain at 'TOP SECRET' classification in accordance with the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995.