Spookys in the Gorge:

Exercise Iniochos 2026 Low-Level Action

4th\5th March 2026 – Vouraikos Gorge, Greece

Introduction

We headed out to the stunning mountains of the western Peloponnese for some low-level action with the participants of Exercise Iniochos 2026. Iniochos is an annual multinational air exercise and is hosted at Andravida Air Base in western Greece. The 2026 iteration ran from 2 to 23 March. Phase 1, the week before the main exercise, involves the deployment of participating forces and low-level familiarisation flights through the Vouraikos gorge. Despite the participation list being smaller than in recent years, the opportunity to photograph end of service life F-4 Phantoms in spectacular low level scenery is too good to miss. Added to that the attendance of the French Air Force’s Mirage 2000D meant it still made for a very appealing lineup.

Hellenic Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II 71760 through the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

Day 1 – Into the Gorge

Low – level flying started on the Tuesday with 8 passes from the local F-16s (six) and Phantoms (two) as we made our way over to Athens. Early Wednesday morning we headed to the winery, some 2,800 feet up in the stunning Peloponnese mountains, themselves a UNESCO heritage site. It was very busy well before first light, so we headed up the gorge and were grateful for the head torches we had packed at the last minute. There was a real party atmosphere, courtesy of the Polish spotters, with rock music and shots not long after daybreak. Even the local goats made a brief appearance to see what the several hundred photographers were doing on their mountain. Around 09:30, the local F-16’s from Andravida passed through from the north, returning about an hour later from the other direction.

Hellenic Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon 052 through the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

With rumours of more aircraft dwindling, we relocated to the west side of the valley, a long winding road with plenty of parking spots as there is very little local traffic and some stunning backdrops across the valley.

Kicking off the afternoon action was a pair of the Slovenian PC-9s, with a barrel roll through the valley from the second aircraft.

Slovenia Air Forece PC-9 L9-69 69 barrol rolling through the Vouraikos Gorge during Ex Iniochoas 2026

As the afternoon passed, we finally got our first pair of Phantoms going very low through the valley, followed by more F-16s—this time from 338 Sqn—and a nice visitor from 343 Mira based at Souda Bay on Crete.

Hellenic Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II 01503 – 175,338 Spooky Hours blasts the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

Completing the afternoon action for us were another pair of Phantoms, including a special schemed jet celebrating 176,338 “spooky” flying hours from 338 Mira. This pair was leading a four-ship French Air Force Mirage 2000D formation from Nancy-Ochey. As we left, there was one final two-ship F-16 pass at around 17:15.

Hellenic Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II 01524 blasts the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

Hellenic Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II 01504 through the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

Hellenic Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon 525 through the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

Day 2 – Peak Action

Day 2 saw us back on the rock for the most spectacular flying of the trip. After a couple of passes from the Greek F-16s, a pair of Greek Phantoms again led a four-ship French Air Force Mirage 2000D formation, with the third Mirage flying inverted over the spotters at the tip of the rock with full afterburners, bringing a cheer from the crowd.

French Air Force Dassault Mirage 2000D 627/3-JO powers through the Vouraikos gorge and over the heads of the spotters during Ex Iniochos 26

This also turned out to be the busiest day of the week, with a total of 26 passes. In the afternoon the French Air Force Mirage 2000D returned, this time led by a pair of Greek F-16s, with one of the French backseaters displaying the Greek flag to the crowd of photographers lining the valley. After this, we had a further 10 Greek F-16s from several squadrons, and again finished with the Slovenian PC-9’s.

French Air Force Dassault Mirage 2000D 645/3-IL through the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

Hellenic Air Force General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon 606 through the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

Hellenic Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon 532 through the Vouraikos gorge in the Greek mountains during Ex Iniochos 26

With Friday rumoured to be a maintenance day, we headed back to Athens, visiting several of the Greek Air Force relics around the region. Overall, it was a very short but stunning trip, with some amazing low-level flying in a beautiful part of the world.