Red Flag 24-1 Report
Article and photographs by Del Laughery
Most everyone acquainted with military aviation in the United States is familiar with the Red Flag exercises that occur periodically – typically three times each year – at Nellis AFB, Nevada, a military installation immediately north of Las Vegas. One of the exercises is U.S. only, another is limited to Five Eyes Alliance participants (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States), and the last draws domestic and international squadrons together. Within each, participants participate in contested combat training exercises against the pilots and aircraft of the 64th, 65th and 706th Aggressor Squadrons, to gain critical skills and experience that are taken back to their individual units.
In the case of the first Red Flag of 2024, conducted in late January, international participation was limited to the United Kingdom, flying their Typhoon FGR4s, and Australia with their new F-35As. Also present were Hill AFB F-35As belonging to the 388th Fighter Wing, USMC F-35Bs from VMFA-211, EA-18Gs from VAQ-138, 90th Fighter Squadron F-22As from Elmendorf AFB, AK, Barksdale AFB-based 2nd Bomb Wing B-52Hs, B-2s from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, MO, F-15Es from Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC, and F-16s from the 79th Fighter Squadron out of Shaw AFB, SC, 121st Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, MD, 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and 457th Fighter Squadron from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, TX.
“B-2s at Red Flag?” you may be asking. Yes! Four were present on the flightline right next to the complement of five B-52s, though I never saw one fly. Additionally, after Red Flag, these strategic bombers participated in a follow-on exercise known as Bamboo Eagle, also conducted at Nellis, which adds an anti-shipping mission aspect as well as principles of Agile Combat Employment and Logistics to the otherwise broad regimen of wartime tasks and skills that allied airmen must master.
Unfortunately, Nellis Public Affairs did not invite outside media to cover the exercise, so photo-documenting the event was conducted from the typical spotting locations around the base. Now, for those of you who’ve not had a chance to spot around Nellis, or read my previous article on the subject here on photorecon.net, those spots include:
- Las Vegas Blvd (also known as Highway 604) between Checkered Flag Lane and Speedway Blvd.
- East Cheyenne Ave at North Ringe Lane.
- Nellis Meadows Park near the corner of East Cheyenne Ave and North Lamont St.
Based on the time of day (afternoon being the best time) and prevailing winds (most often driving the use of runways 3L and 3R), these three locations provide ample opportunities for flex departure photos northeast of the field as jets turn left from the 030-runway heading and generally overfly the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as well as approach to landing pictures. Should you decide to shoot around the base during a Red Flag exercise, be prepared for a large number of fellow photographers. The variety and frequency of aircraft is excellent, and the crowd provides numerous opportunities to make contact with like-minded people. So don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation and compare shooting techniques and camera settings.
While there are morning departures and arrivals associated with Red Flag, shooting locations noted above only provide back-lit aircraft until well after mid-day. Most photographers focus on afternoon departures and involve approximately 100 separate takeoffs. Afterward, there’s a lull where the field quiets down a bit – this is when you eat lunch or take a quick bio-break – and then most of the exercise aircraft return before sundown. Given the time of year when Red Flag 24-1 occurs, the days are short and the sun angle very southerly. So, arrival photos after 4:00PM are taken in the last few moments of light, the amount and color of which changes minute-by-minute, but don’t go back to your hotel until the sun is down. In my case, I caught the approach-to-landing of a B-52 where the sun angle provided lighting on the underside of the aircraft. I recall thinking to myself, “Too dark.” But it turned out to be my favorite photo of the trip.
A few words about travel-related costs. Flights to and from LAS are typically full, so there aren’t many reasons for air carriers to offer discount seats. Best bet as it pertains to air travel is to make your reservations early and contact the carrier if you see the rate go down and ask for a refund of the difference. Aps like TripIt will alert you when this happens, and all you need to afterward is make the call. Hotels around Nellis are increasingly expensive. Even modest two-star accommodations are running in the $200-$300/night range. If you find that pretty offensive, and you’re willing to stay a few miles away but don’t want to be on, or near, the Vegas strip, the North Las Vegas Centennial Hills area (due West of the base at the intersection of Highways 95 and 215) provides some reasonable options. Highway 215 takes you directly to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway without dealing with surface roads, which puts you moments away from the Las Vegas Blvd shooting location. This is where I stayed during my visit and the trip was only 20 minutes and didn’t involve downtown Vegas traffic and the ever-present Interstate construction. Lastly, when you get hungry, head on over to the Iron Skillet restaurant along North Hollywood Blvd, just behind the speedway. They’ll cook you up a reasonably priced portable meal that can be quickly taken back to wherever you’re shooting, you know, so you won’t miss any of the action.
