E
IELSON AFB IS where the
wilderness of Alaska meets
the advanced technology of
the military world. Located
near the city of Fairbanks, this
large and picturesque base is
the permanent home of both the 18th
Aggressor Squadron (AGRS) and the
168th Air Refueling Wing.
The resident 354th Fighter Wing,
currently devoid of a front-line fast jet
unit, is lined up as the home of the next
tranche of US Air Force F-35A squadrons,
a decision designed to enable joint
missions alongside the F-22 Raptors
of the 3rd Wing at nearby Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson. In the past year,
the Lightning II has been a regular visitor
to Eielson for cold-weather test work.
Infrastructure and logistical preparations
related to its formal arrival are well under
way in order to meet the expected 2020
timeline for permanent basing.The base typically hosts four ‘Red Flag
— Alaska’ exercises per year, as well as the
accompanying ‘Northern Edge’ exercise
series. The aim is to hone tactical combat
skills, improve command, control and
communication (C3) relationships, and
develop interoperability across the
joint force.
Combat Aircraft attended ‘Red Flag —
Alaska 18-1’, which took place between
April 30 and May 11. Compared with a
Nellis ‘Red Flag’, Alaska’s Joint Paci c Alaska
Range Complex (JPARC) provides a whole
di erent experience for participating units,
with more than 67,000 square miles of
airspace, three bombing ranges
containing 510 di erent types of targets
and 45 threat simulators — making it the
world’s largest instrumented air, ground,
and electronic combat training area —
and giving participants a rst opportunity
to train in combat alongside extreme local
weather conditions.Left: The resident
18th Aggressor
Squadron
provided the
specialist
enemy threat
presentations.
Below: A 36th
Fighter Squadron
‘Flying Fiends’
Block 40 F-16CM
with General
Electric F110
engine in full
reheat.EXERCISE REPORT // ‘RED FLAG — ALASKA’
24 September 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
24-30 Red Flag Alaska C.indd 24 19/07/2018 12:25