Special Red Flag exercise begins Monday Published Feb. 18, 2009 By Mike Estrada 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Southern Nevada residents may notice increased military aircraft activity as the Air Force begins Red Flag exercise 09-3 Feb. 23. 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. Red Flag 09-3 will be different from previous exercises, adding an extra week to the traditional two-week exercise. "The extra week will test the feasibility and effectiveness of adding focused mission training," said Major Keith Lowman, Red Flag 09-3 team chief. "Our goal is to provide tailored training during the third week by focusing on close air support and combat search and rescue for aircrews who frequently support ground forces, sometimes dropping weapons within a few hundred feet of friendly troops. The additional training will better prepare our Airmen for combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations around the world." An Army Patriot missile unit from Ft. Bragg, N.C. , will establish a base at the Alamo airfield, about 90 miles north of Nellis Air Force Base. Radar, missile and communications equipment will be located in Delmar Valley, west of Caliente, Nev. The Army will focus on establishing communications with airborne units and identifying friendly and enemy aircraft. Flying for Red Flag 09-3 begins Feb. 23 and ends March 13. About 80 aircraft will depart Nellis twice a day, between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and again between 6 and 10 p.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 in Nevada, Virginia, Idaho, California, Maryland, Washington, Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah, Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio, Florida and Germany. Aircraft types will include F-22s, F-15s, F-16s, A-10s, F/EF-18s, EA-6Bs, HH-60Gs, KC-135s and a KC-10. In addition to U.S. aircraft, the United Kingdom will be flying F-3 Tornados, and the Royal Australian Air Force will be flying F-111s. Both allied countries will also fly C-130 cargo aircraft. 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 652-6337.
