A squadron of Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighter jets has arrived at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to take part in the ...
The long range deployment is supported by two RAF Voyager Air to Air refuelling aircraft plus engineers and logistical staff, eight Typhoons from No 1(Fighter) Squadron from RAF Lossiemouth and 6 Squadron from RAF Coningsby.
The Voyager tankers from 10 and 101 Squadrons based at RAF Brize Norton provided fuel and transported ground crew and essential equipment.
The 1(F) flew 6000 miles from RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland to the western USA, tanking multiple times from the Voyager and flying close to diversion airfields all the way.
The exercise will help fine tune Typhoon's swing role capability, namely the ability to undertake air-air and air-ground missions in a single sortie.
This year, for the first time, RAF Typhoons will be dropping the all weather precision guided Paveway IV bomb.
Using Global Positioning Guidance technology, the Paveway IV is capable of precision targeting and is currently carried also by RAF Tornado GR4s operating over Iraq.
RAF pilots will now begin the detailed preparations for the exercise which includes familiarising themselves with local air traffic control procedures and flying with US Air Force units over the vast Nellis training range.
Another Voyager carrying additional Typhoon pilots and ground crew is due to arrive this weekend.
Established in 1975, Red Flag brings together allied air forces to train together over the skies of Nevada, providing realistic training to pilots and other flight crew members.
