Red Flag exercise kicks off Monday Published Oct. 19, 2009 NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Southern Nevada residents may notice increased military aircraft activity as the Air Force prepares for Red Flag exercise 10-01 Oct. 19. Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States and its allies. The exercise is conducted on the 15,000-square-mile Nevada Test and Training Range, north of Las Vegas. Red Flag is one of a series of advanced training programs administered by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center and Nellis, through the 414th Combat Training Squadron. Flying for this month's exercise begins Oct. 19 and ends Oct. 30. About 55 aircraft will depart Nellis twice a day, between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., and again between 9:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. Some aircraft can remain in the air for up to four hours. The flying times are scheduled to accommodate the other flying missions at Nellis and provide Red Flag participants with valuable night-time training. U.S. aircraft will come from Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases in Nevada, the Oregon Air National Guard, Moody AFB, Ga., RAF Lakenheath, England, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, MacDill AFB, Fla., Shaw AFB, S.C.; and Scott AFB, Ill., and include F-15s, F-16s, E-3s, A-10s, MQ-1s and KC-135s. In addition to U.S. aircraft, the Royal Norwegian Air Force will be participating with C-130s and F-16s, and the Netherlands will be flying F-16s as well. For a complete list of participating aircraft for the exercise, visit http://www.nellis.af.mil/library/flyingoperations.asp. For more information about Red Flag, call the Nellis Public Affairs Office at 652-2750.
