British fighter jets battle it out above desert

Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft have deployed to the United States for Exercise Red Flag 26-1, joining American and Australian forces in what is widely regarded as one of the most demanding air combat training events in the world.

The RAF said its aircraft have arrived at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to take part in the 51st iteration of the exercise, which is designed to simulate the opening stages of a modern air campaign in a highly realistic operational environment.

Exercise Red Flag was established in 1975 following lessons from the Vietnam War, after analysis showed the first ten combat missions were the most dangerous for aircrew. The exercise aims to replicate those early missions by exposing participating forces to complex, high-end threats in a controlled training setting.

According to the RAF, the training takes place across the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), covering 2.9 million acres of land and more than 12,000 square miles of airspace. This year’s exercise is expected to involve around 3,000 personnel from 32 units drawn from the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, Air National Guard, alongside the RAF and the Royal Australian Air Force.

Red Flag is designed as a full-spectrum training package, involving not only pilots and aircrew but also maintenance teams, intelligence specialists, logisticians and support staff, with the aim of replicating the realities of modern operations.

A Tactical Command and Control Team manages participating aircraft and units across multiple domains, including ground, maritime, cyber and space-based elements. The RAF stated that the scale of the exercise is intended to build operational experience while reinforcing cooperation between the UK, the United States and Australia. For Red Flag 26-1, the RAF has deployed 12 Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth. Supporting assets include an RAF Voyager tanker aircraft to provide air-to-air refuelling, an A400M transport aircraft from Air Mobility Force, and the RAF’s Rivet Joint intelligence aircraft from 51 Squadron as part of the service’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance fleet.

Red Flag continues to evolve to reflect modern threats and is known for its use of “aggressor” forces, simulated enemy aircraft, ground-based radars and surface-to-air missile systems. The exercise also includes cyber and space-based elements intended to replicate threats to modern air operations.