A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail has arrived in Alaska, to participate in the world’s most advanced international air combat training activity. Exercise Red Flag Alaska is a United States Pacific Air Forces Command-led large force employment exercise, designed to replicate a high-end combat environment. The two-week exercise officially kicked off on Monday, 12 August 13.
Up to 60 personnel from RAAF Base Williamtown’s No 2 Squadron will take part in Red Flag.
Officer Commanding Number 42 Wing, Group Captain Tracey Friend said, "This is an important exercise for the E-7A Wedgetail, as it will challenge the air and ground crews to the highest level through a series of air combat and surveillance scenarios."
"Exercise Red Flag Alaska will also provide excellent opportunities for our personnel to integrate with a joint task force, to learn how other countries operate and to develop important working relationships with major coalition partners," she said.
Aircrew will be exposed to large force employment on a scale not possible in Australia, when they perform air battle management of coalition assets across a range of combat disciplines. The coalition exercise will see participants from Australia, the US, Japan and South Korea, together with a variety of nations as military observers, working together in one of the largest activities the RAAF will be involved in this year.
Aircrews will be operating in the 67,000 square-mile Joint Alaska Pacific Range Complex, which offers adequate space and ranges for crews to simulate full-scale aerial battles.
The Exercise will run until 24 August 2013.