Red Flag at the Last Frontier

Red Flag - Alaska 08-02; April 08

To anyone with an interest in aviation, the words “Red Flag” are synonymous with images of rows of jets baking under the hot Nevada sun, and fleets of aircraft taking off for missions over the dusty Nellis AFB ranges. However, for the last 2 years, there has been another Red Flag, taking place in the altogether different surroundings of Alaska.

Red Flag - Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces sponsored exercise, the origins of which lie with the ‘Cope Thunder’ series of exercises, held at Clark AFB, in the Philippines, until the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 forced the closure of Clark AFB, and caused the exercise to be moved to Eielson AFB in Alaska. Cope Thunder was re-designated Red Flag - Alaska in 2006.

In common with the well known Red Flag exercise at Nellis, the intention of Red Flag - Alaska is to simulate a new pilots "first 10 missions". Experience in the Vietnam war lead to the realisation that most combat losses occurred within a pilots first 10 missions. If a pilot survived these 10 missions, he was in a better position to survive his tour of duty. Red Flag came about as a result of a desire to give pilots experience of operating in a large aircraft package, in as close to wartime conditions as can be simulated, within the constraints of peace time operations. Thus, the exercise is designed to safely provide a pilot with his first 10 missions, meaning he or she is in a better position to undertake real combat operations.

Red Flag - Alaska is organised by the 353rd Combat Training Squadron, part of the 354th FW, stationed at Eielson AFB. The 353rd CTS also has responsibility for operating the world’s largest air training complex, the 67,000 square mile Pacific Alaska Range Complex. The variable terrain of Alaska offers a wide variety of challenges - the landscape varies from flat, desert-like, tundra, through rolling hills, to high mountain ranges and thus provides a variety of potential operational environments, replicating the areas in which the USAF have been in action in recent years.

The flying unit of the 354th FW is now the 18th Aggressor Squadron, equipped with Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcons. Since 1993, the 354th FW has been based at Eielson AFB, Alaska. Up until 2007, flying units of the 354th FW were the 355th FS, equipped with the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the 18th FS, equipped with Block 40 F-16C aircraft. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure program decreed that the 355 FS would be deactivated and its aircraft redistributed to other units, meanwhile, the 18th FS would be re-designated the 18th Aggressor Squadron. These changes took place in 2007, with the 18th AS standing up on the 24th August 2007, coinciding with the re-designation of the Cope Thunder exercise to Red Flag - Alaska.

The unit operates older Block 30 F-16s, after the more capable Block 40 jets were swapped with the 8th FW at Kunsan AFB in Korea. Although of an older type, the capabilities of the Block 30 aircraft are more than sufficient for the aggressor role. Like the longer established aggressor units at Nellis AFB, Nevada, the role of the squadron is provide realistic threat replication for units deployed to Red Flag - Alaska, and they use enemy techniques, tactics and procedures to provide a realistic simulation of enemy fighters.

In order to visually distinguish themselves from friendly aircraft taking part in the exercise, the aircraft of the 18th AS are painted in 3 distinct colour schemes including the unique “Advanced Flanker” scheme of black, grey and white, particularly suitable for operations over the Alaskan landscape.

This year’s April exercise (08-02) took place between 7 and 17 April, and involved units from the USAF (both Pacific AF units and units from Air Combat Command in the “lower 48” states, ie the continental US), US Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The participating aircraft formed an Air Expeditionary Wing at Eielson AFB, along with a subordinate Air Expeditionary Group at Elmendorf AFB. As usual with Red Flag exercises, “friendly” forces were grouped into a coalition referred to as the Blue Force. Opposing them, and utilising both aggressor aircraft and ground based threats, were the Red Force. The exercise organisers are referred to as the White Force, and provide a link between Blue and Red Forces, to ensure the safe conduct of the exercise.

Friendly units were split between the bases mainly for reasons of space, but this also results in a useful training consequence. Due to the geographic separation of the 2 airfields, participants are forced to communicate by remote means, such as telephone and video link. This introduces challenges and a realistic flavour - in a real world operation, it is highly unlikely that all participating aircraft would be based at the same airfield, so communication between 2 or more dispersed sites is vital.

Most friendly assets were based at Eielson, with the bulk of participant aircraft being F-16s. These came from 3 bases - the 14th FS, 35th FW at Misawa, Japan; the 36th FS, 51st FW at Osan, Korea, and the 61st and 62nd FS, 56th FW at Luke AFB, Arizona.

Electronic warfare support was provided by EA-6B Prowlers from VAQ-209 and VAQ-133 of the US Navy. Tanker support came from KC-10 Extenders from both 60th and 305th AMW, based at Travis AFB and McGuire AFB respectively. Also deployed were HH-60 Pave Hawks from Kadena AFB to provide a realistic Combat Search and Rescue capability to the exercise.

The overseas element of blue force based at Eielson consisted of F-18 Hornets from 3, 75 and 77 Sqn RAAF, all of which were flown by crews from 75 Sqn. Further Hornets came from slightly closer to home, in the form of CF-18 Hornets from 409 Sqn RCAF.

Elmendorf AFB provided a base for the fighter elements of the Blue Force, primarily F-15 Eagles, from the 60th FS, 33rd FW at Eglin AFB.

The locally based 90th FS, 7th Wg fielded their latest aircraft, in the form of the F-22 Raptor, with 6 more Raptors coming from the 43rd FS at Tyndall AFB.

The line-up was completed by the vital E-3 Sentry aircraft, which provided command and control for the Blue Force, and also assisted in the safe conduct of the mission. The E-3 aircraft came from the 962nd AACS, home based at Elmendorf, with further aircraft deploying from the 961st ACCS, based at Kadena, Japan and also from the RAF, in the form of an E-3D sent from RAF Waddington, and operated by crews from both 8 and 23 Squadrons, RAF.

As with all Red Flag exercises, and real world missions, the first aircraft to launch were the “heavies”, in this case, the KC-10 Extender tanker support (from Eielson), and the E-3 Sentry (from Elmendorf). Tanker support is vital to an exercise of this scale, with the formation needing time, and therefore fuel, to get ready for the mission.

During the exercise we were given the opportunity to fly on a KC-10 from Travis AFB, which was refueling a formation of F-16s from the 35th FW at Misawa. The aircraft carried a variety of loadouts including HARM anti-radiation missiles

Between them, the Eagles and Raptors provided the fighter cover for the exercise. Although it is currently being displaced by the Raptor as ACC’s premier fighter, the Eagle is still a potent weapon. “Nogs”, an "Eagle Driver" from Eglin, described the exercise as a great experience, and an opportunity to practice their role in a large package of aircraft: “In Florida, we train over the Gulf of Mexico, and as we fly solely against other F-15s, it’s part-task training only. Here we get to fly as part of an integrated package, which provides a realistic flavour for real world contingencies.” The detachment commander from Eglin, Lt Col David “Gorby” Baggio, described the efforts of his air and ground crew to deploy 16 aircraft from Florida to Alaska so soon after the grounding of the fleet (after the loss of a Missouri ANG aircraft) as “awesome”.

The aircraft which will eventually replace the F-15 as the premier USAF fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, is a relative newcomer to Red Flag exercises. Its participation is an opportunity for the Raptor team to demonstrate their capabilities to other friendly units, to give mission planners an idea of what the aircraft can do. The Raptor flew both air-to-air and air-to-ground sorties and in addition to these more traditional roles, crews also undertook a relatively new role, that of battle management, using their superb sensor array and ability to view the “big picture” over the battlefield.

This management role was highlighted by “Rage”, an F-22 pilot with the 90th FS at Elmendorf AFB. As a former F-15 pilot, Rage was able to compare operating the 2 aircraft: “The air-to-air mentality is the same, but the Raptor brings much more of a management role to the fight, rather than just a flying role. We have the responsibility for assimilating information, making decisions and disseminating the information to other aircraft”. Between Raptors, information transfer is automatic, using a data link system. However, passing information to other types requires voice communications and is more challenging, requiring a good deal of capacity on the part of the F-22 pilot.

Having also attended Red Flag as an Eagle pilot, Rage went on to explain that this role brought greater responsibility: “My F-15 experience at Red Flag was very much “Eagle specific”. An F-15 flight leader would be responsible for only the 4 jets in his flight. Operating the Raptor requires much greater appreciation of the other friendly aircraft in the fight, and greater responsibility for maintaining situational awareness.”

The vision for Red Flag - Alaska is for the exercise to be a separate entity from the more established Red Flag at Nellis, but for the 2 exercises to be complimentary. In contrast to the desert, mountains and superb weather in Nevada, Alaska offers a much more challenging and realistic environment. The unpredictable weather, and geographical separation of units leads to a more accurate depiction of the “fog and friction” of war, and this should prepare US and coalition pilots more thoroughly for future operations around the world.

The author wishes to express his sincere thanks to TSgt John Gott and AM1 Jonathon Snyder from the Public Affairs Office at Eielson AFB; Sgt Jared Marquis and Sgt Mikel Canfield from the PAO at Elmendorf AFB; Flt Sgt Pat McGuiness, 34 EAW, RAF Waddington and the crew of “Gassy 06”.

For more photos, visit the following pages: Eielson Album, Elmendorf Album, Eielson Tanker Ride, and ISTAR at Red Flag.

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