Two-week drill follows January’s “Juniper Oak” exercise in Israel.
(March 12, 2023 / JNS) Israeli fighter jets will be seen flying above the Nevada desert on Sunday, which marks the start of a two-week “Red Flag” training exercise, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The U.S. and Israeli air forces will conduct daily drills involving nearly 100 aircraft. The exercise is being run out of Nellis U.S. Air Force Base, located approximately 8 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Nellis has hosted the event since 1975, and this version will end on March 24, with special arrangements made for the Israeli visitors to fly on Sunday instead of Saturday due to Shabbat, according to the base.
There are three iterations of the exercise annually, according to the base. One is U.S.-exclusive, one is open only to “Five Eyes” participants (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States), while the third welcomes “an expanded roster of international allies and partners.”
Training exercises will include playing out various combat scenarios, including intercepting enemy aircraft, low-altitude flights and flying in areas protected by surface-to-air missile systems. In addition, an American KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft will conduct a midair refueling of an Israeli Air Force F-35I “Adir” fighter jet.