Around 3,000 service members and 100 aircraft from the US, Australia and the UK have officially commenced the first Red Flag-Nellis exercise of this year.
Scheduled to take place between 23 January and 10 February, the exercise will be carried out from Nevada Test and Training Range at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) in Nevada, US.
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The military training area has over 12,000mi² of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land.
The latest iteration of this large force air combat training exercise will primarily focus on enhancing the readiness and interoperability of the participating allied forces.
414th Combat Training Squadron commander colonel Jared Hutchinson said: “In our 48th year Red Flag, participants will build confidence under fire, integrated leadership, and a warfighters culture that will win our nation’s fights.
“Each flag pushes state of the art to a new level by building on the efforts of previous Red Flags. In this iteration, the allied force will be presented with many new and emerging real-world tactical problems.”
The exercise involves participation of over 300 personnel and air assets, including Typhoon jets and Voyager aircraft, from the UK Royal Air Force (RAF).
Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has deployed around 100 airmen along with five EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft from the No. 6 Squadron.
RAAF exercise detachment commander wing commander Steven Thornton said: “This training helps ensure RAAF remains ready to deploy aircraft and personnel away from their home base and sustain high-tempo operations.”
Red Flag will allow the participating forces to practice several complex and advanced aerial drills against realistic and simulated adversaries.
The exercise aligns with the US’ 2022 National Defense Strategy and focuses on strengthening joint capabilities to safeguard Indo-Pacific Theatre.
