Luke brings Allied partners to Red Flag 24 -2

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Dominic Tyler
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The 56th Fighter Wing brought Allied partners to Red Flag 24-2 March, 10-23, 2024, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

Red Flag – Nellis 24-2 welcomed joint and coalition participants and provided aircrews the experience of multiple, intensive air combat sorties in the safety of a training environment.

This year, the 56th FW was represented by F-35A Lightning II student and instructor pilots assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron and the 308th Fighter Squadron.
Comprised of Allied partners from the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Royal Danish Air Force, the 308th FS is a vital unit to the collaboration efforts of RF-N 24-2.

“Everyone benefits from the training and knowledge we share during an exercise like Red Flag,” said Lt. Col. Nick Hansen, 308th FS Senior National Representative of Denmark. “It [Red Flag] is the ultimate test of everything from jets to personnel as we simulate how a live mission plays out.”

Ranging from air-to-air engagements to ground attack missions, Red Flag is designed to push participants to their limits and foster innovation in tactics and procedures.

“Operations with our fifth-generation platform, the F-35, are critical to us,” said Air Commodore Johan van Deventer, commander of the Royal Netherlands Air Force Air Combat Command. “It’s an information platform that uses forward sensors to exchange that information, and it can go to a high-threat area. This is the place where we can practice that together with our coalition partner, the U.S., and we need to do that in the high-end fight. That’s why we come to Nellis.”

Throughout the exercise, around 15 units and approximately 1,500 joint and coalition participants engaged in a series of simulated combat scenarios while integrating fifth-generation assets.

Also accompanying the 56th FW to RF 24-2 were the Top Aces Corp., a commercial adversary provider currently stationed at Luke AFB, to further enhance the simulated adversary forces with their fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcon Advanced Aggressor Fighter aircraft.

Luke AFB’s participation in RF 24-2 enhances the operational capabilities of 56 FW warfighters while strengthening interoperability among allied forces.