The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force participated in the 50th iteration of Exercise Red Flag Nellis, held at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada, from Jan. 26 to Feb. 7.
British personnel from various backgrounds joined the military exercise, including 51 Squadron Rivet Joint aircrew, air operations controllers from 19 and 20 Squadrons, and aircrew and engineers from 6, 10 and 101 Squadrons. RAF Typhoon fighter jets and RAF Voyager aircraft accompanied the British force during the event.
The more than 370 participating RAF personnel were among the estimated 3,000 individuals present at the event, including their counterparts from the United States and Japan.
Red Flag started after the Vietnam War, with the U.S. Air Force intending the military exercise to be a platform to train crews on a wide range of air campaigns.
RAF Group Capt. Guy Lefroy of the 83rd Expeditionary Air Group highlighted the benefits of the exercise in improving interoperability between participating air forces. “Throughout [the exercise], we will develop our people’s ability to dynamically deliver air power through empowerment, effective risk management, and innovation,” he said.
Besides investing in warfighters’ capabilities, the RAF is also allocating a significant portion of its budget on hardware modernization. In April 2024, the service released a strategy to accelerate the adoption of disposable, attritable and survivable autonomous collaborative platforms after the technology showcased its benefits during the Ukraine-Russia war. The British air force also tapped a partnership between Leonardo UK, Thales UK and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to install an air defense laser on the Shadow R2 and A400M transporter.