Royal Australian Air Force personnel and aircraft are preparing to leave the summer of Williamtown for winter in Nevada USA, where they will be put through one of the most challenging Air Force exercises of their career - Exercise Red Flag.
Commander Air Combat Group, Air Commodore Tony Grady highlighted the importance of Exercise Red Flag for Air Force and its personnel.
“Exercise Red Flag involves a series of air combat scenarios that test operational air and ground crews to the highest level. For members of RAAF, this is the exercise they spend their career dreaming of attending, it is incredibly challenging and they get to work with and against aircraft they normally don’t get to work with on other deployments.
“It provides the ultimate environment in which our Air Force personnel can showcase their extraordinary abilities in a deployed scenario,” Air Commodore Grady said.
“Aircrew from 77 Squadron yesterday [Thursday 2 January 2014] commenced a week of ‘workup’ training in the F/A-18 Hornet simulator at RAAF Base Williamtown before taking to the air on this coming Monday [6 January] to prepare for Red Flag missions. Night flying will occur between 8 and 14 January, however Salt Ash Air Weapons Range will not be used during any of the work-up training.”
No 2 Squadron (with an E-7A Wedgetail), 77 Squadron (with eight F/A-18A/B Hornets) and over 250 personnel will participate in Exercise Red Flag which is the United States Air Force’s most advanced international air combat training activity.
The exercise commences at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada on 23 January and concludes on 15 February 2014.
Media Contact:
Flight Lieutenant Cath Friend, Air Force - 0421 687 825
Issued by Ministerial and Executive Coordination and Communication,
Department of Defence,
Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999 Fax: 02 6265 6946
