Red Flag - Israel Air Force

[DavidSling]

IAF's "long-range capabilities" sharpened during flight to US Red Flag drill; American media reports that states without Israel ties also took part.

Red Flag drill hosted by the US Air Force held at Nellis Air Base, Nevada. (photo credit:IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Israel Air Force (IAF) jets, transport planes, and refuellers landed back in Israel on Wednesday night, after taking part in the 11-day Exercise Red Flag hosted by the US Air Force held at Nellis Air Base, Nevada from August 15 to 26.

The IAF took part in the drill together with the Pakistani and UAE air forces, according to American media reports.

Just getting to the far-away drill formed a significant training run for long-range flights, a senior IAF source said on Thursday, in reference to the air force's need to maintain strike capabilities for potential future flights to Iran .

"We want to train forces for long-range flights. This is a very complex mission. I have not seen another country that alone gets there [to Red Flag] without external [American] services.This strengthened our air crews' long-range 'muscles,'" the source said.

During the exercise itself, dozens of planes took off for missions lasting a few hours, in which they encountered a US squadron simulating an enemy in the air, as well as mock surface-to -air missile batteries, and even cyber attacks on plane computer systems.

The Americans update each exercise with "scenarios that they wish to use to train themselves and international forces," the source said.

Night and day missions were simulated, and Israel's participation helped significantly fortify bilateral air force cooperation, according to the source.

None of the Israeli air crew members who took part in this year's drill were in last year's Exercise Red Flag, which also saw Israeli participation.

"There is no replacement for this kind of exercise. We can't set up this kind of training arena in Israel. It is hard to surprise our air crews here during training," the source stated.

In 2017, Israel will hold its own international air exercise, called Blue Flag. The US Air Force has already confirmed its participation, and several additional friendly states are expected to take part.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Is...ill-with-Pakistan-United-Arab-Emirates-466582

@Penguin @500 @Natan @Archdemon @salarsikander @GBU-28 @F-15I @mike2000 is back @Blue Marlin @Mountain Jew

 

[DavidSling]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217234

 

[19887]

US,France,Greece and Poalnd will participate in blue-flag in israel.maybe more air forces will join.

 

[Windjammer]

Israeli pilots return home after flying alongside Pakistan, UAE in US drill

IAF aircraft stage dogfights, aerial simulations with foreign militaries over Nevada desert in US Air Force’s Red Flag exercise

BY JUDAH ARI GROSS September 1, 2016, 3:41 pm

Israeli aircraft returned to Israel this week after flying alongside Pakistani and United Arab Emirates planes in the United States Air Force’s Red Flag exercise in the Nevada desert.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets and refueling aircraft took part in the nearly two-week exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, from August 15 to 26, before returning to Israel on Wednesday, the army said.

The Israeli military would not officially comment on the presence of Pakistani and United Arab Emirates pilots at the exercise this year, other than to say that the drill was being run by the Americans and Israel sees itself as a “guest” of the country. The Spanish Air Force also took part in this year’s exercise.

But while the IDF was reluctant to state outright that it flew alongside Pakistani and UAE pilots — most likely owing to the fact that Israel doesn’t have diplomatic relations with these two Muslim countries — the United States, which is officially allied with them, had no such qualms.


A Pakistan Air Force F-16C prepares for takeoff at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, as part of the Red Flag exercise on August 17, 2016. (Tech. Sgt. Frank Miller/US Air Force)

Following the exercise, the US military spoke glowingly of its “partner” Pakistan. According to Maj. Gen. Rick B. Mattson, the Pakistanis saw the Red Flag exercise as “truly an opportunity to not only get better as a force within the Pakistan Air Force but also how to better integrate with everyone else.”

During the exercise, the Israeli and foreign aircraft flew both day and night missions against ground defense systems, an IAF official told reporters Thursday.

However, he would not specify if these included missions against the Russian S-300 missile defense system, which Iran reportedly installedoutside its Fordo nuclear facility this week.

In addition to the actual drills during Red Flag itself, the more than 7,000 mile- (11,000 kilometers) flight between Israel and US also served as a form of practice for the IAF pilots, according to the official.

“This was a very long flight for the teams, approximately eight or nine hours for the planes,” the IAF official said Thursday.

“This serves as a long-range exercise for the muscles that we need, in both refueling and [flying in] weather,” he said.


An Israel Air Force plane refuels an F-16 fighter jet over Nevada during the United States Air Force’s Red Flag exercise in August. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

This wasn’t Israel’s first time at Red Flag. Nor was it the IAF’s first time flying alongside Arab pilots in one of those exercises.

During the aerial simulation last year, IAF planes flew with Jordanian fighter jets, and on the way to and from the exercise reportedly refueledthem.
Earlier this year a senior IAF official told The Times of Israel that, in addition to their benefits for training, international military exercises can be seen as a form of “roundabout” diplomatic strategy.

“Flying outside of Israel is very different from flying out of Ramat David,” the IAF official said, referring to an air base in northern Israel.

“You don’t know the area, you’re speaking in a different language. It lets you hold a mirror up to yourself, and you learn a lot from that,” he said.


And there are other benefits to training with foreign armies, he added.

“[International exercises] are not just military, but strategic in nature,” the officer said. “And the strategic benefits are not always direct; they can also be roundabout.”


Israel Air Force F-16 fighter jets and a refueling plane fly in formation over Nevada during the United States Air Force’s Red Flag exercise in August. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)


While they are not considered “enemy nations,” Israel does not have formal ties with Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Though Pakistan has indicated it would be prepared to formalize its relationship with the Jewish state once there is a peace agreement with the Palestinians, ties between the two countries are often complicated.

There have been reports of covert contacts between Israeli and Pakistani officials, including a WikiLeaks document that indicated that a high-ranking official in the Pakistani army met directly with the Israeli Mossad.

Publicly, however, the two nations have little to do with one another. In 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly canceled a dinner reservation at a New York restaurant to avoid eating at the same time as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Though there are still no formal ties with the United Arab Emirates, there has recently been a thaw in Israel’s relationship with the Gulf state. In November, Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold visited Bahrain in order to open its first diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi, which is part of the UAE.

 

[DavidSling]

he “Red-Flag” Training Exercise Has Come to an EndRelease date04.09.2016

IAF personnel have returned from the large-scale international training exercise, in which they flew along-side partners from around the world. Exclusive photos of the breathtaking journey from Israel to the USA
Nadav Shaham
The IAF's "Sufa" (F-16I) Squadrons and the "Desert Giants" that operates the "Re'em (Boeing 707) have returned to Israel upon the commencement of the international "Red-Flag" training exercise, which was held in "Nellis" AFB in Nevada.

During the exercise, which is considered one of the most challenging and realistic in the world of combat aviation, the squadrons rehearsed coalition flying with multiple air forces such as the USAF and Spanish Air Force. "The exercise excellently simulated warfare, because we were required to fly in unfamiliar territory and in challenging topography. In Israel, we are used to flying over familiar areas so it is difficult to surprise us but here, it is really flying into the unknown", shared Maj. Gil, Head of the Overseas Exercises Department. "The American infrastructure was exceptional and included many ground and aerial threats that created a warlike atmosphere".

Photography: The "Bat" Squadron

Surprising, Downing and Winning
Over the course of two weeks, the Israeli aircrews rehearsed attack and air-air scenarios with their partners from all over the world in USAF "Nellis" AFB. During the attack sorties, the crews used advanced munitions, some GPS and laser guided and general purpose bombs.

The participants rehearsed various scenarios such as PSAR (Pilot Search and Rescue) protection of a pre-determined area and strategic strikes, all in English and while facing multiple threats and the world's most advanced aircraft. They attacked, defended, surprised and were surprised. "We participated in 18 sorties, eight jets in each sortie and were on base for about 16 hours a day", elaborated Maj. Gil.

Photography: The "Bat" Squadron

The "Red-Flag" is considered the IAF's central over-seas deployment, in which IAF crews meet pilots and WSOs from various countries, share experiences and learn from each other. "We were on base with partner countries, so we had a chance to observe their techniques and methods, what we do similarly and differently. We had the opportunity to learn from their experience and understand where we can improve".

The 6,800 mile journey from Israel to Nevada was performed by IAF aircraft over the course of a few days including stops. The journey to the far away continent was performed with the help of the "Desert Giants" Squadron, whose tankers were responsible for Aerial refueling of the fighter jets and that also participated in unique scenarios in the exercise itself. "The transfer flight took three days and included a number of stops, it is a very challenging operation", stated Maj. Gil. "We took a large number of fighter jets and put them on the other side of the world. There aren't many countries that can perform this kind of operation, it is a unique capability".

Photography: The "Bat" Squadron

Drawing Conclusions: "Our combat doctrine has proved itself"
As fitting of the IAF, upon returning from last year's "Red-Flag" exercise, all of the IAF participants held a comprehensive debriefing and it is now the time to implement the lessons learned. "There are tactical conclusions such as how to plan the sorties and itinerary", shared Maj. Gil. "At the flight level, the main conclusion was that our combat doctrine works and proved itself in the exercise. The goal is not to re-invent the wheel, but to fly exactly like we plan to in war".

As a result of the exercise's paramount significance, the delegation members held a preliminary preparation. "In the preparation, we focused on four components: language, standard, culture and knowledge. The participants underwent many instruction sessions, sharpened their knowledge of flight regulations and learned how to conduct on the radio in English".

Photography: The "Bat" Squadron

"The first week focused on practicing the basics of flying in English", explained Maj. Iftach from the "One" Squadron which led the workshop. "The briefing, debriefing, flight and communication with the tower were all performed in English in order to prepare the crews for the deployment". For the sake of optimal simulation, two American Air Traffic Controllers traveled to the IAF's Southern ATC Unit in order to control the teams and train them in communication with a foreign air traffic controller. In addition, as part of the preparation, the participants practiced performing aerial refueling in accordance with NATO combat doctrine.

Alongside the aircrew members, over 100 maintenance personnel also took off for the exercise, and were responsible for maintaining the aircraft and making sure that all of the equipment they need in order to perform their duties arrive to the deployment base, while taking the length of the exercise and possible malfunctions into consideration. "We began preparing for the deployment last October", said Lt. Col. Avi Bachar, Deputy Commander of Ramon AFB's Maintenance Squadron and Maintenance Commander of the deployment. "We had to choose the personnel to travel with, not a simple task in itself and which aircraft from the base to take with us".

Photography: The "Bat" Squadron

http://www.iaf.org.il/4451-46951-en/IAF.aspx

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

Was it just 4 F-16Is and the transport?

 

[DavidSling]

Was it just 4 F-16Is and the transport?

My guess is five,