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More Than 115 Aircraft Fought Together in This Year’s Edition of Checkered Flag

F22s and Strike Eagles flew side by side over the Gulf of Mexico, in Checkered Flag exercise, which was held at Tyndall Air Force Base, at the end of last month.
An F-15E Strike Eagle receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker, during Checkered Flag 2021 5 photos
Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stefan Alvarez
U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, at Checkered Flag 2021An F-15E Strike Eagle at Checkered Flag 2021Tyndall Air Force Base, Checkered Flag 2019An F-22 Raptor during Combat Archer 2019
Imagine a place with no civilian traffic, 2 runways and unrestricted airspace - the perfect location for a major air-to-air exercise. This is Tyndall AFB, which provides access to 180,000 square miles of airspace over the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, it was the center of Checkered Flag, one of the Department of Defense (DoD)’s largest air-to-air exercises. Air Force and U.S. Navy fleets were integrated in this large-scale exercise that included command and control aircraft, fighters, tankers and electronic warfare elements.

Over 115 aircraft and 15 joint squadrons participated, with 2,000 personnel and 71 of those aircraft operating out of Tyndall AFB. Due to the complexity of Checkered Flag, all of the participants could not be gathered in one place, and some units operated out of Cecil Field in Jacksonville and Eglin Air Force Base. According to Lt Col.

Orsua, director of the exercise, some of the players planned the missions through video teleconference and then met up in the air, but any additional challenges were welcomed, as any real combat mission would also have unforeseen elements.

This was the largest Checkered Flag exercise held until now, and a great opportunity for F22s and Strike Eagles to fight together, since they don’t get to train side by side often. Over the course of 2 weeks, all the participants flew a total of 882 sorties, most of them out of Tyndall.

Plus, 54 missiles were fired under the Weapons System Evaluation Program (WSEP), which was held at the time as Checkered Flag, to save resources. Also known as Combat Archer, the 53 Wing’s WSEP is a joint program that tests the employment of live-fire weapons in air-to-air and air-to-ground operations. At this year’s edition, over 100 first-time shooters participated in the training.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
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Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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