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RED
ALERT
F-111s
in flawless display
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At
a glance
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Australian
squadrons have participated in Exercise Red Flag approximately
every two years since 1980.
This year’s exercise involved 80 aircraft from
six nations, including F-15s from Israel, F/A-18s
from Canada, Tornadoes from Italy and F-16s from Singapore.
Six Australian F-111s and 120 personnel from No. 82
Wing at RAAF Base Amberley took part.
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Flying Officer Richard Peapell about to take off on a mission
during the exercise.
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1
SQN flightline at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, USA , with
an F111 taking off against a dramatic mountain backdrop.
Photos by SGT Glen McCarthy, 82WG
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RED-HOT
Air Force F-111 crews have returned from Exercise Red Flag with
a perfect record.
The F-111 ground and aircrews from No. 82 Wing at RAAF Base Amberley
achieved a flawless sortie rate during Red Flag, planning and flying
118 out of 118 missions in the month-long exercise conducted at
Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
The Australians were the only crews to boast a 100 per cent sortie
success rate at the end of the exercise.
Red Flag, which wound-up on September 20, forms a regular part of
the Air Force training cycle and provided an intense and complex
combat environment designed to expose crews to a variety of combat
challenges.
In the skies above the Nevada Desert, north of Las Vegas, the Australians
performed the role of “package commander” and “mission
commander” on occasions.
This meant they were responsible for planning, executing and leading
the missions – or a “package” within the mission
– an extremely complex task given that up to 80 jets from six
nations could be involved in an exercise.
The crews had to deal with air and ground defences to reach targets,
but proved to themselves and their allies that they have what it
takes.
Officer Commanding 82WG Group Captain Geoff Brown applauded the
efforts of the F-111 crews upon their return to RAAF Base Amberley
last Thursday.
“I was really rapt with the mission success rate,” GPCAPT
Brown said.
“It was the result of a lot of hard work by both the people
who were there and those left home at Amberley.”
After contending with a month of 12-14 hour days working in desert
temperatures around 40 degree Celsius, GPCAPT Brown said the 120
82WG members were happy to be home.
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