NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — If the wild blue yonder is yielding a little more noise than usual, don’t be alarmed. It’s only a drill.
Nellis Air Force Base just northeast of Las Vegas is the nerve center for the large-scale exercise Red Flag 23-1, which runs from Jan. 23-Feb. 10.
Since 1975, this exercise has provided air crews the experience of multiple, intensive air combat sorties in the safety of a realistic training environment, according to a news release from Nellis AFB.
Nearly 100 aircraft are scheduled to depart Nellis twice a day and could remain in the air for up to five hours. There will also be night launches to allow for air crew training during nighttime combat operations.
“This year is expected to be challenging as it prioritizes young operators,” said Col. Jared Hutchinson, 414th Combat Training Squadron commander, in a news release. “It enables them to learn in the world’s best combat training environment while writing the next chapter of our resilient heritage.”
During Red Flag 23-1, Nellis will welcome close to 3,000 participants from all branches of the U.S. military service, and from the Royal Air (U.K.) and Australian Air Forces. The 355th Wing from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, will take command as the lead wing over the participating aircraft, including the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor, B-52 Stratofortress and the Australian E-7 Wedgetail.
The training occurs at Nellis AFB and 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, the news release said.
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].
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