Photo: Royal Air Force
A new year also means another season of large-scale international military exercises. Red Flag is one of the most prestigious ones, that’s been carried out for decades and continues to be an excellent setup for complex combat air operations. The UK Royal Air Force’s Typhoons have arrived in the U.S., ready for some serious action.
Over 300 personnel from the Royal Air Force will be taking part in this year’s Red Flag exercise, together with their American and Australian counterparts. Aircraft from the three air forces will get to show off their capabilities while facing multiple types of simulated challenges.
They’ll have to deal not only with aggressor aircraft mimicking enemy fighter jets, but also with ground-based defense systems and cyber threats, since electronic warfare capabilities are one of the crucial components of air combat superiority.
Going from simple to complex combat scenarios and operations, the exercise gives all three air forces a great opportunity to test and practice joint procedures for seamless integration in future air operations. As with most exercises of this kind, the goal is to develop strategic capabilities even further, in a high-threat, contested environment.
In RAF’s case, Typhoons will be the stars of the show. More specifically, the 1 Fighter Squadron and the 41 Test and Evaluation Squadron. They’ll also be supported by Voyagers from the 10 Squadron and 101 Squadron.
The Typhoon FGR4 is the next-generation version of the multi-role combat aircraft that’s ready to conduct precision attack missions. However, its current main role is to provide quick reaction alerts (QRA) in the UK and the Falkland Islands’ airspace. It’s equipped with three types of missiles, including the infrared-guided, short-range ASRAAM, plus an advanced Captor radar, and an electro-optical targeting system.
As RAF’s only air-to-air refueling tanker, the Voyager will provide support for the Typhoon squadrons, throughout the exercise. The British Typhoons will stay on U.S. territory until mid-February, when Red Flag will come to a close.
They’ll have to deal not only with aggressor aircraft mimicking enemy fighter jets, but also with ground-based defense systems and cyber threats, since electronic warfare capabilities are one of the crucial components of air combat superiority.
Going from simple to complex combat scenarios and operations, the exercise gives all three air forces a great opportunity to test and practice joint procedures for seamless integration in future air operations. As with most exercises of this kind, the goal is to develop strategic capabilities even further, in a high-threat, contested environment.
In RAF’s case, Typhoons will be the stars of the show. More specifically, the 1 Fighter Squadron and the 41 Test and Evaluation Squadron. They’ll also be supported by Voyagers from the 10 Squadron and 101 Squadron.
The Typhoon FGR4 is the next-generation version of the multi-role combat aircraft that’s ready to conduct precision attack missions. However, its current main role is to provide quick reaction alerts (QRA) in the UK and the Falkland Islands’ airspace. It’s equipped with three types of missiles, including the infrared-guided, short-range ASRAAM, plus an advanced Captor radar, and an electro-optical targeting system.
As RAF’s only air-to-air refueling tanker, the Voyager will provide support for the Typhoon squadrons, throughout the exercise. The British Typhoons will stay on U.S. territory until mid-February, when Red Flag will come to a close.
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