TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Checkered Flag, one of the largest air-to-air exercises in the Department of Defense, kicked off today at Tyndall AFB and will run through May 21. Checkered Flag is a large-scale aerial exercise designed to integrate fourth and fifth-generation airframes to enhance mobility, deployment, & employment capabilities of aviators and maintainers. The two-week long exercise focuses on the integration of the F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II with fourth generation aircraft (including the F-15E Strike Eagle, Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet, and others) in a large-force exercise.
Held twice per fiscal year, the exercise directly supports the Air Combat Command commander’s plan to train the Immediate Response Force – a dedicated force ready for worldwide, rapid response to unforeseen or unplanned operations. This iteration of Checkered Flag involves more than 70 aircraft and 2,000 personnel from nine Air Force and Navy units. They will train together in 25 aerial events, ranging from large force exercises to live-fire missile shoots, over the Air Force’s prestigious Gulf Range Complex. This airspace is one of the few ranges in the U.S. capable of supporting large-scale air combat training.
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