MiGs join Red Flag on Nellis range

Monday, Oct. 25, 1999 | 9:32 a.m.

Beginning this week there will be a mock war in the skies above Nellis Air Base's practice ranges northwest of Las Vegas.

As the result of Red Flag aerial combat training exercises, there will be increased aircraft operations around the base and its ranges, Nellis spokesmen said.

Although Red Flag exercises are conducted several times each year, this is the first time six Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets will be participating, flown by German pilots.

Red Flag is an exercise designed to better prepare United States and allied forces for combat by sharpening aerial combat skills and providing realistic training in a combined air, ground and electric threat environment.

It is one in a series of advanced training programs administrated by the Air Warfare Center at Nellis through the 414th Training Squadron.

The exercise will end Nov. 6.

According to the Air Warfare Center Public Affairs, most of the aircraft and personnel deployed to Nellis for Red Flag make up the exercise's "Blue Forces." These forces use various tactics to attack such targets as the mock airfields, vehicle convoys, parked aircraft, bunkered defense positions, and missile sites on the Nellis Air Force Range Complex.

The targets are "defended" by a variety of simulation ground threats as well as air threats to give participating air crews the most realistic composite combat training possible.

The "Red Force" threats include electronically simulated surface-to-air missiles and antiaircraft artillery, communications jamming forces and opposing "enemy air force."