Aegean Sunset


In the second of our AFW 2023 photo reports, over the course of two days we flew at sunset with Hellenic Air Force Dassault Rafales and Mirage 2000s, the Saudi Hawks display team, the Royal Saudi Air Force Solo Demo Eurofighter Typhoon, and an Aegean Airlines A320neo jetliner over the Aegean Sea at sunset near Sounion on the southern coast of Greece.

Video - Athens Flying Week 2023 HIGHLIGHTS #1: F-4 Phantom, T-2, Mirage, Rafale, Tornado, F-35

First up were the Saudi Hawks flying seven British Aerospace Hawk Mk65, and the Royal Saudi Air Force Solo Demo Typhoon.

The Saudi Hawks, officially 88 Squadron, are homebased at King Faisal Air Base in Tabuk, while the Solo Demo Typhoon is operated by 80 Squadron, and is homebased at King Fahd Air Base in Taif.

Next up were a pair of HAF 332 Squadron Dassault Rafale EG multirole fighters, and a mixed pair of HAF 332 Squadron Dassault Mirage 2000s... a single seat Mirage 2000-5EGM and a twin seat Mirage 2000-5BGM, both types being homebased at Tanagra.

Our last join up was with the expertly flown Aegean Airlines Airbus A320neo. Photographing a jetliner air-to-air, under clear blue skies and in magnificent evening light, is certainly hard to beat.

The last shot in this report is an atmospheric shot of the Skyvan about to touchdown back at Tanagra.

A Big Thank You Goes To....
Eric Coeckelberghs and the Aviation PhotoCrew, as well as the Hellenic Air Force, Saudi Air Force, Aegean Airlines and Athens Flying Week for the opportunity to photograph these aircraft air-to-air.