Experiencing a Red Flag Mission
From my friend, Tom McGrath
My best friend Tom McGrath lives in Las Vegas and is a big supporter of Air Force operations at Nellis. He recently went on a ride in a UK air refueling tanker participating in a Red Flag mission.
The F-35s are Marine jets so they use the probe and drogue refueling system. The other jets are British Typhoons.
Tom sent me these pictures from his experience along with an article describing the process.
From the article by Audrey Decker:
High in the skies above Nevada, an F-35 jet carefully flies beside a tanker, trying to latch onto the plane to refuel. Three more U.S. Marine Corps F-35s follow, taking on gas on both sides of the Royal Air Force Voyager Tanker, followed by six British Typhoons. Then the topped-off jets zoom off to their targets, some 150 miles away. It’s part of the giant Red Flag 24-1 exercise, a two-week wargame that stretches over Utah, Nevada and California.
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Was able to have the same experience in a tanker out of Seymour Johnson and the work the crews do is amazing. Just the crew coordination and planning is staggering. Even when it is explained you still have no idea how detailed and what an effort it is.
Also the pilot (left seater) in that British jet needs a booster seat to see over the instrument panel. Can’t see him or her from the photo.