Red Flag: Closest thing to real life combat

by Staff Sgt. Samantha Krolikowski
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

7/24/2014 - FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Fairchild Air Force Base participated in a Red Flag exercise above the Nevada Test and Training Range, July 2014. This exercise is one out of a series of training programs that occur multiple times throughout the year, affording Airmen an opportunity to participate in exercises that showcase the most realistic combat training without real enemy fire.

Red Flag occurs at Nellis Air Force Base, outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Eielson AFB, outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. These areas have more airspace and allow for more freedom of movement.

"There are also many sensors on the ground that allows the missions to be recreated as a learning tool for aircrews," said Maj. Stephen Gant, the 92nd ARW Crisis Action Team director.

During the current exercise, Fairchild staff and maintenance crews support fighter and bomber units from all across the Air force as they would in real-world combat situations. "We'll also have fighters from the Singapore Air Force and Special Operations C-130 unit from France," said Gant.

"Fairchild's main position is to give gas to the blue and red aircraft so we can have more assets in the fight," said Capt. David Kopp, the 414th Combat Training Squadron 14-3 team chief.

The staff includes: four pilots and two boom operators, who plan the mission, as well as intelligence, life support, aviation resource management and crew communication Airmen. Maintenance crews includes: crew chiefs, specialists in jets, electrical, navigation and hydraulics and supply Airmen providing the ability to regenerate the aircraft after they land.

This training allows crews to interact with other aircrews in detailed mission planning to present a plan of attack to the air expeditionary wing commander. Maintainers get to experience turning jets in minimum time to spin up for subsequent flights.

"It's good for everyone in the exercise for integration purposes," Kopp said. Throughout the planning, execution and debrief cycles everyone is able to learn the capabilities and limitations of all the assets and how we can overcome certain limitations that may exist. "The intense mission planning, stressed communications on the radios, and combat fuel loads are very similar to real combat," added Gant.

The aircrews prepare by using simulator training to simulate combat scenarios where there are threats needed to be avoided, similar to the Red Flag training scenarios.

"As mobility crew and maintenance, however, we deploy frequently," Gant said. "So we 'practice' similar situations in real-life by deploying to support real-world operations."
During these exercises, aircraft can reach the specific objectives throughout the exercise, but it is difficult.

"It's more difficult without Fairchild's support and people will get less training because they won't have as much 'play time'," said Kopp. "They may lose more 'assets' to the enemy due to air-to-air missiles or surface to air missiles, because they didn't have as many assets as they'd like [or need].

"These exercises couldn't be as beneficial without Fairchild's tanker getting players the gas they need to stay in the 'fight,'" added Kopp.