Red Flag 14-1

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Las Vegas, NV- The 414th Combat Training Squadron of Nellis Air Force Base (NAFB) hosted the first of its 2014 series of Red Flag training exercises from January 27th -February 14th. Red Flag is a series of high intensity air to air combat exercises that include various participants from all over the world as well as the United States.

Having attended multiple Red Flag exercises from alongside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this Red Flag was unique to me in that this was the first time that I have attended this particular exercise as media. This provided the opportunity for me to attend Nellis AFB’s media day which allows media outlets to photograph the participating aircraft from in between the runways. In addition, I had the privilege of flying in a KC-135 from the 92nd Air Refueling Wingbased out of Fairchild AFB in Washington, to take air to air photographs of the various aircraft as they came up to refuel. I was lucky enough to be in the tanker which refueled 8 F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing, 27th Fighter Squadron, out of Langley AFB Virginia.

 

Other Red Flag 14-1 participants included:

.- 20th Fighter Wing, 55th Fighter Squadron, F-16CMs, Shaw AFB, S.C.
– 55th Electronic Group, 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron, EC-130s, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
– Carrier Air Wing 17, Electronic Attack Squadron 132, EA-18G, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
– 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, EA-6B, Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, NC.
– 509th Bomb Wing, 13th Bomb Squadron, B-2s, Whiteman AFB, MO.
– 366th Fighter Wing, 391st Fighter Squadron, F-15E, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.
– 140th Fighter Wing, 120th Fighter Squadron, F-16C, Buckley AFB, Colo.
– 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, F/A-18, Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, Calif.
– 116th Air Control Wing, 16th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, E-8s, Robins AFB, Ga.
– 55th Wing, 38th Reconnaissance Squadron, RC-135s, Offutt AFB, Neb.
– Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1, EP-3C, NAS Whidbey Island, Wash.
– Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Ten, Patrol Squadron 40, P-3C, NAS Whidbey Island Wash.
– 23rd Wing, 41st Rescue Squadron, HH-60s, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
– 23rd Wing, 71st Rescue Squadron, HC-130Js, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
– 552nd Air Control Wing, 964th Airborne Air Control Squadron, E-3s, Tinker AFB, Okla.
– 57th Wing, 64th Aggressor Squadron, F-16Cs, Nellis AFB, Nev.
– 57th Wing, 65th Aggressor Squadron, F-15Cs, Nellis AFB, Nev.

In addition to U.S. aircraft, the Royal Australian Air Force, flying an E-7 and F/A-18s, and the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom, flying Typhoons, GR-4 Tornados, and an E-3D also participated.

I’m looking forward to the next Red Flag, (which is right around the corner) running from March 3-14.

I would like to extend my thanks to the crew of my KC-135, A1C Villacorte, and the entire 99 ABW Public Affairs Office for their hospitality and for opening their doors to us once again.

 

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