Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2003 | 11:10 a.m.
More than 100 military aircraft took to the skies this morning from Nellis Air Force Base as part of the mock exercises known as Red Flag.
The exercise, which is expected to last through Aug. 26, involves the United States and four allied countries -- Israel, Germany, Canada and England. About 2,000 pilots, mechanics and others will participate in the exercises that will take place over the Nevada Test and Training Range northwest of Las Vegas.
"Anytime we go to fight in the world today, it's going to be as a coalition," said Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Satava, director of staff for Red Flag. "This gives us a chance to integrate and make sure we know each other's capabilities."
It is the first Red Flag exercise this year. Air Combat Command had canceled the first two -- one scheduled for March because of the Iraq war, and the other in January, when the 68th Bomber Wing, a group stationed in North Carolina, was deployed.
In the past Red Flag, which is usually done four times a year, has been canceled for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and actions in Kosovo.
The training exercise includes dividing the 2.9 million acre Nevada Test and Training Range in half, with one side playing the role of an invading nation. The exercises include air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and search and rescue operations.
Satava said one of the goals is to dispatch a plane and destroy an "emerging target" within 10 minutes.
An example of an emerging target was Saddam Hussein at the start of the war in Iraq, when coalition forces temporarily strayed from their game plan to strike a location where they thought the Iraqi leader was.
During Red Flag a target will appear suddenly during the mission, forcing reactions up and down communication and tactical lines that result in a plane being diverted to attack the new target.
"The fastest we've seen in a Red Flag is 13 minutes, but we're working toward single digits," Satava said.
Being able to pinpoint targets while working with other countries is key, said Air Force Col. Cesar Rodriguez, who is in charge of the exercise.
"The reality is you never know who will be flying on your right or left side (in battle)," Rodriguez said. "By having the exercise at Nellis, we are able to get a feel for flying under coalition conditions, and it cuts down on our headaches later."
The Defense Department did not invite France to participate in the exercises, although invitations went out last year, long before a rift in relations with France over nonsupport of a United Nations resolution for war with Iraq.
"We get a lot of requests from countries wanting to be a part of Red Flag, but we can only usually satisfy 20 to 30 percent of them," Satava said. "France was not scheduled to fly with us this time."
France participated in Red Flag exercises in 2002 and 2001 using Mirage 2000 jets, and was at last year's Maple Flag, a combat exercise held in Canada that utilizes many of the same Nellis personnel who coordinate Red Flag.
Of the four exercises a year, two are designated for U.S. forces only, and the other two include international forces.
For this month's exercise U.S. aircraft include A-10s, Predators, F-16s and various other fighters and bombers. One aircraft that is not flying in the exercise is the F-22 because tactics have not yet been developed for America's newest technology in war aircraft, officials said
Aircraft from other nations employed during these exercises include British Harriers, German Tornado fighters and Canadian Cf-18s.
A group of Israeli F-16s stood out on the crowded tarmac at Nellis this morning. The desert camouflaged planes with large white scorpions painted on their tails were distinct from the gray American F-16s they took off with.
More than 10,000 sorties are flown using 750 aircraft at Red Flag exercises every year. Twenty-four countries have participated in Red Flag exercises, and more than 400,000 people have participated since it started in 1975.
Red Flag lasts from two to six weeks, depending on its purpose.
In October 1999 the Red Flag exercise included for the first time six Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets flown by German pilots.
Most of the aircraft and personnel deployed to Nellis for Red Flag make up the exercises's "Blue Forces," according to the Air Warfare Center Public Affairs Office. These forces use various tactics to attack such targets as 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."
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