Major Shaitan Singh
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The first two Red Flag aerial war games of the year have come to a close. Both saw US air combat units combine with allied ones from around the globe to work as a team to take on the staunch defenses laid out across the vast Nellis Range Complex, including enemy SAM sites and F-16s and F-15s masquerading as enemy fighters.
Aviation Photographer Chris Heaton was on the ground at Nellis AFB for both Red Flags and took some awesome images of the majority of the Red Flag participants launching and recovering for us to enjoy:
A snow camouflaged 64th AGRS F-16C Block 32 launches on a Red Flag aggressor mission. Theaggressors fight using a strict set of enemy aircraft and aircrew threat profiles, mimicking their unique attributes and limitations. For instance, if a aggressor pilot is mimicking a MiG-21 Bison, that means their rearward visibility is blocked and their sustained g is limited. They will fly this profile as if the aircraft had those exact limits. Additionally, if the threat nation they are replicating uses ground control intercept (GCI) to find and target coalition aircraft, they will use that instead of relying primarily on their own radar sets.
Fighters are not the only bad guys on the playing field. Enemy SAM sites, both of the real hardware and synthetic hardware variety, and very talented radar operators, are also located out in the ranges, some of which are road-mobile and can surprise coalition aircraft. Also, an electronic and cyber warfare aggressor unit plays havoc with allied radio communications and data-link systems. One F-15 pilot told me the first time he crewed up for a Red Flag mission he tried to radio his flight before taxiing and all he could hear was the Russian national anthem blaring in his headset on every frequency.
The otherwordly B-2 is always a big hit at Red Flag and often plays a 'center piece' role in the strike package of aircraft that have to infiltrate their way into 'enemy territory' on the vast Nellis Test and Training Range complex. B-2s usually only participate during Red Flags where only our most trusted allies are present. For instance, the B-2s would be part of a Red Flag when the British or Australians are involved, but may not be part of the exercise if the Indian or Brazilian Air Force were present.
A USMC EA-6B ICAP III Prowler rolls out after a mission to protect allied aircraft by detecting and jamming or suppressing 'enemy' radars and communications.
The Navy's EA-6B Prowler replacement, the EA-18G Growler, is a common player at recent Red Flags as its new capabilities are still be integrated into the total force. The Growler has found an especially tight relationship with the USAF's F-16CJ 'Wild Weasel" community as both aircraft communities working together to destroy and/or suppress enemy air defenses equal much more than the sum of their parts.
A former 65th AGRS F-15C blasts out of Nellis to give allied aircraft a run for their money. Sadly, the F-15C aggressor force is being shuttered due to budget cuts and Red Flag 15-2 was most likely the last time the aircraft will be flown in a permanent aggressor role during Red Flag exercises.
The E-3B/C Sentry Airborne Warning And Command System (AWACS) is the heart of the Red Flag mission. From here, controllers manage the complex and hectic allied assault on 'enemy' territory and call out marauding aggressors for fighters to intercept.
A South Dakota ANG F-16CM Block 40 Viper lands after a Red Flag sortie. The F-16CM upgrade allows for the F-16C Block 50's Harm Targeting System pod to be carried on one of the intake stations across from the Sniper targeting pod. Conversely, the F-16CJ Block 50 will be able to carry the Sniper pod. Under the F-16 Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP) which is based around a series of common hardware and software upgrades, the F-16C Block 40 and Block 50s will be nearly interchangeable.