7 F-22A and 24 F-15C vs 103 Red Airs: Results
Look at the air dominance provided by just a small number of
Raptors. impressive. now i am beginning to think that Sukhois out
there aint gonna give US any problems anymore. A combination of the
new and old heavyweight champions of air to air combat will be
invincible.
Northern Edge Joint Information Bureau
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska Every competition needs a winner
and a loser. And somebodys gotta play the bad guy. In Northern
Edge, the annual joint-service air exercise taking place in Alaska
now, the players distinguish between the good dubbed the Blue Air
and the bad, the Red Air.
In the real world, Northern Edges joint forces must face real
enemies, and because the exercise strives to be as realistic as
possible, some of the players have to provide Red Air, replicating
enemy combat tactics and operations against the Blue, or Allied
forces.
Over 100 U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft are playing the
enemy for the exercise.
The Red-Air support has been top-notch throughout the exercise,
said Col. Thomas Bergeson, 1st Fighter Wing Operations Group
commander and F-22A Raptor pilot. It has been impressive, not only
because of the sheer number of jets in the air, but also because
theyve provided very challenging tactics simulating
fourth-generation threats.
On top of it all, they've done it in a very safe and professional
manner, he said.
During one training scenario, the Blue force faced a fleet of 32
Red jets F-16 Fighting Falcons and F/A-18 Hornets which
regenerated several times each, providing the firepower of 103
enemy fighters. Thats a record number, according to Colonel
Bergeson.
I'm not sure if thats official or not, he said jokingly. But it
is the largest number of Red Air I've ever flown against, and it
was unprecedented training for all the Blue Air forces.
A team of seven F-22 Raptors and 24 F-15 Eagles took on the Red Air
package in that scenario, accumulating 83 simulated kills with
only one simulated Blue loss. Even with one Eagle lost, the Blue
Air team was able to defeat its adversaries without regeneration of
the jets, and without the simulation of a weapons reload.
Being the bad guy may seem easy, but planning for Red Air in every
scenario can be very difficult. Orchestrating that many jets and
all those tactics quite often makes the Red Air side more
challenging to manage than the Blue, Colonel Bergeson said.
Playing the Red Air role is beneficial for the pilots, many of whom
are assigned to the 18th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard,
Toledo.
Were playing the bad guys, of course, but it still benefits us
because we have to coordinate as many as 40 aircraft in the air;
thats great experience for mission commanders, said Maj. Rebecca
Ohm, a pilot assigned to the 112th Fighter Squadron of the 180th
FW.
As the exercise progresses, the Red forces raise the level of
tactics and operations, ramping up to more difficult warfare
scenarios. Each day, they seek to discover and exploit any weakness
in the Blue forces tactics which are duly noted in the briefings
held after the days flying has been completed.
The joint forces would not be able to advance their strategies
without the level of support provided by the enemy, and the Red
forces are doing a terrific job, according to Colonel Bergeson.
Our hats are certainly off to the Ohio [Air National] Guard guys
who have acted as the package commanders.
The Blue force pilots are likewise thankful for the aggressive
training.
Without great red-air support, we wouldnt have the lessons
learned to upgrade our tactics, said Capt. James Akers, assigned
to 27th Fighter Squadron of the 1st Air Wing, Langley AFB, Va. Hes
the F-22A Raptor mission commander. The other pilots did an
excellent job of representing possible threats in the Asian-Pacific
theater.
Northern Edge, which ends June 16, is one of a series of U.S.
Pacific Command exercises held this year designed to prepare joint
forces for worldwide deployment, enabling real-world proficiency in
detection and tracking of units at sea, in the air, and on
land.
http://www.elmendorf.af.mil/ALCOM/NE...06-06-13-2.htm
'During Exercise Northern Edge 2006 in Alaska in early June, for
instance, the F-22 was pitted against as many as 40 "enemy
aircraft" during simulated battles. The Raptor achieved a
108-to-zero kill ratio. General Corley said that while some may
question the need for that much capability, he believes it is
necessary.'
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123022098