TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) —
The 325th Fighter Wing “Checkertails” recently deployed Airmen and F-35A Lightning II aircraft to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, to serve as the lead wing during exercise Red Fag-Alaska 25-3, July 17 to Aug. 1.
The deployment marks the wing’s first participation in an exercise outside the continental United States since Hurricane Michael in 2018. It also represents the unit’s largest air movement to date, with nearly 200,000 pounds of cargo transported in support of the mission.
Red Flag-Alaska is a large-scale field exercise that offers joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support and large force employment training. Missions are conducted within the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex air space, allowing Tyndall’s F-35 pilots to enhance their operational capabilities in a simulated combat environment.
“Red Flag-Alaska is a great opportunity for the wing to practice generating and projecting combat airpower,” said Col. Christian Bergtholdt, 325th FW commander. “The exercise provides our pilots the opportunity to further sharpen their skills in a combat-realistic environment – ensuring success anywhere on the globe. As the lead wing, it’s an opportunity for a larger portion of the Checkertails to deploy and support combat-like operations.”
Airmen from the 325th also facilitated a real-world military movement to ensure all personnel and equipment arrived on time and were in place. Multiple 325th FW mission support elements–including logistics readiness, operational support, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, weather and munitions–are on the ground in Alaska to fully simulate the deployment experience.
“Red Flag was designed to give pilots an opportunity to experience what it would be like to go into battle for the first time,” stated Col. Tyler Niebuhr, 325th Operations Group commander. “They can experience planning and executing missions in a large force employment, multiple airframes, different mission sets all combined, working together.”
Operating in unfamiliar environments presents logistical and operational hurdles simulating real-world deployments.
“Everything is different when you go to an [exercise] like this; operating out of a different building, airfield and airspace,” explained Capt. Abigail Carter, 95th Fighter Squadron deployment manager and mobility chief. “Our priority is to be the best tactical F-35 squadron in the Air Force and focus on air superiority. I think this exercise gives us the perfect opportunity to display and to practice that. It not only gives us the opportunity to practice our tactics, but to increase the experience so when the time comes, we’re ready to take the hammer.”
The 325th FW’s mission is to project unrivaled combat airpower for America, with the vision to delivering lethal, agile and ready airpower anywhere, anytime.
