The United Kingdom informed Spain some weeks ago of the military exercises which would be taking place in the Mediterranean. Tomorrow, Friday, eight Tornado Royal Air Force bombers will arrive in Gibraltar. The armed forces on the rock say will be flying unarmed and carrying the minimum amount of aviation fuel to operate. The Tornado can fire missiles with special precision and eight planes will be stationed on the Rock for ‘a month’, from where they will take part in the Mediterranean exercise on the high sea. The eight GR4 Tornados will arrive from the Royal Air Force Ninth Squadron and their base in Norfolk. The exercises over the Mediterranean will allow the pilots to ‘move the planes to their limits’. They will fly unarmed to lighten their weight and with as little fuel as possible. British sources told Europa Press that the Mediterranean has been chosen because of the good weather conditions it offers. Despite the fact that the planes will be parked at night at Gibraltar Airport, the Spanish Government has made no formal protest to the United Kingdom about the planes presence. This despite the fact that the Spanish consider that the British slowly occupied the isthmus which now contains the airport. The isthmus was not mentioned in the 1704 Treaty of Utrecht. Spanish diplomatic sources have said ‘The arrival and departure of British aircraft in Gibraltar ‘is not a motive for protest’, but they added that the lack of a protest has not changed the Spanish Governments position on the British ‘occupation’ of the isthmus one little bit. The exercises will also see training for the SPAG Submarine Parachute Assistance Group, which is specialist in the rescue of the crew from British military submarines in an emergency. The end of august will see more action from the Royal Navy, with the expected arrival of the destroyer HMS Diamond.
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