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| Red Flag 20-1 |
| Latest update: April 2020 |
| Nellis AFB, Nevada is home to the 57th Wing and
host to the annual Red Flag and Green Flag exercises. It runs three Red
Flag exercises during the US fiscal year (running from October until
September). In Alaska the 354th FW stationed at Eielson AFB organizes
the Red Flag Alaska exercises. The first Red Flag exercise of FY 20 took place from January 27 until February 14, 2014. International participants came from Australia sending its Super Hornet and Growler squadrons and an E-7A Wedgetail to provide for the Air Control mission. From the United Kingdom 617 squadron "Dambusters", the first Lightning squadron of the Royal Air Force, deployed with five of it jets. 41 squadron is the RAF operational test squadron and was already operating in the USA. A Voyager from RAF Brize Norton flew the AAR missions. Their USAF colleagues cancelled prior to the start of RF 20-1. The 57th Wing has one dedicated aggressor squadron, 64th AGRS (64th Aggressors Squadron), flying the red air missions during all Red Flag exercises. Hill AFB 388th Fighter Wing has three squadrons (4th FS, 34th FS and 421st FS) assigned all equipped with the F-35A Lightning II. Its Air Force Reserve Command colleagues from the 419th FW (466th FS) are integrated within the 388th FW jointly flying the assigned missions at their home base, exercises and on deployments. 388th/419th FW became the first fighter wing to be equipped with the Lightning II (76 aircraft assigned) and since becoming operational the squadrons have been operating around the globe in the both combat and training missions. In 2019 the 421st FS made its inaugural deployment to Europe in support of the Theater Security Package (TSP). Two missions per day per flown by the participants with the first wave departing during the afternoon and returning in the afternoon. RF 20-1 second wave was flown during the evening. Each afternoon mission one of the Airborne Air Control assets was airborne with the aircraft rotated between the Royal Australian Air Force and the United States Air Force. Of the so-called "heavies" only the Voyager, E-3C or E-7A and one or two of the rescue Hercules (HC-130J) flew during the afternoon wave and were the first to depart taking up their tracks over the Nevada range complex. Roughly half an hour later the first fighters went up as well as one or two of the B-1B bombers. The other present special missions aircraft (RC-135W, E-8C and EC-130H) didn't fly during the day. During the recovery of Red Flag the Weapon School squadrons of the 57th Wing departed for their missions using runway 03L resulting in the Red Flag participants landing on runway 21L (when assigned else runways 03L and 03R where in use for both arrivals and deparatures). |
| Participants Red Flag 20-1 (January 27 - February 14) |
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| Photo gallery participants Red Flag 20-1 |
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| RAAF 1 squadron F/A-18F | RAAF 6 squadron EA-18G | RAAF 2 squadron E-7A |
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| RAF 617 squadron F-35B Lightning II | RAF 41 squadron Typhoon FGR.4 | RAF 10/101 squadron Voyager KC.3 |
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| USAF - ACC 64th AGRS F-16C | USAF - ANG 119th FS F-16C | USAF - ACC 421st FS F-35A |
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| USAF - AFGSC 37th BS B-1B | USAF - ACC 79th RQS HC-130H | USAF - ACC 964th AACS E-3C |
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| USN VAQ-131 EA-18G |
| Comment(s): ACC: Air Combat Command. AFGSC: Air Force Global Strike Command. ANG: Air National Guard. RAAF: Royal Australian Air Force. RAF: Royal Air Force. USAF: United States Air Force. Order and delivery reports of participating aircraft and their manufacturers can be found by visiting below pages on the websites: Airbus Defence: A330MRTT (Voyager). Boeing Defence: F/A-18 (Super) Hornet / EA-18 Growler, E-3 AWACS, E-7 / E-737. Eurofighter consortium: EF-2000 / Typhoon. Lockheed Martin: F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-35 Lightning II, C-130 (Super) Hercules. Rockwell: B-1 Lancer. |
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