ST. GEORGE — Southern Nevada residents may notice increased noise from military aircraft as the Air Force conducts Red Flag 24-3 from Monday, July 22, to Aug. 2.
According to a news release issued by the Nellis Air Force Base, nearly 150 aircraft are scheduled to depart Nellis twice a day and could remain in the air for up to five hours during this large-scale exercise. There will also be night launches to allow for aircrew training during nighttime combat operations.
During Red Flag 24-3, around 30 units and approximately 2,000 participants from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and Air National Guard will participate in daily training both in the air and on the ground. The 1st Fighter Wing from Langley AFB, Virginia, will serve as the core wing as all the units participate in complex mission scenarios against aggressor forces. Red Flag 24-3 will conclude on Aug. 2.
Nellis has hosted Red Flag exercises since 1975 to provide aircrews the experience of multiple, intensive air combat sorties in the safety of a training environment. There are three iterations of Red Flag annually: one U.S. only, one open to Five Eyes participants and another that welcomes an expanded roster of international allies and partners.
The training occurs at Nellis AFB on the Nevada Test and Training Range, the U.S. Air Force’s premier military training area with more than 12,000 square miles of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land.
For more information about Red Flag or Nellis Air Force Base, contact the Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs Office at 702-652-2719 or by email at [email protected].