RAF completes Exercise Red Flag
The UK’s F-35 Lightning Force has concluded Exercise Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base in the US.
Royal Air Force 617 Squadron deployed F-35 jets for three weeks at Nellis for the air combat exercise.
The exercise offered the squadron the opportunity to train on the F-35 in real-world conditions against simulated enemy air defence systems on the ground ahead of embarkation on HMS Queen Elizabeth later in 2020.
The deployment also afforded Lightning Force support and maintenance crew the ability to train to keep the aircraft flying for the duration.
Wing Commander John Butcher, Officer Commanding 617 Squadron, said: ‘Our experience on Red Flag has been amazing. Lightning has performed really well in this exercise and I have also been really pleasantly surprised as to how everyone has performed in this environment, our team has done fantastically well.’
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