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Saudi aircraft join in Air Force exercise

Red Flag is underway at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., this time with the Saudi Arabian air force flying in tandem with U.S. Air Force and Navy warplanes.

This Red Flag, which continues through Thursday, marks the third time the Saudi Arabian air force has participated. On this visit, the Saudis Arabians are flying the F-15S, a version of the F-15E Strike Eagle.

Missing from Red Flag are F-15C Eagles. The two-month grounding of the fighters, which ended in early January, made it impossible for the U.S. jets to participate. The F-15Cs will be back to fly in the next Red Flag set for July and August.

Red Flag is staged several times a year and is the Air Force’s largest air combat exercise. The idea is to replicate the opening days of large-scale air campaign over the Air Force’s training ranges north of Nellis.

Flying in this Red Flag and their roles are:

Red Air

F-16s, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

Blue Air

F-22s, Langley Air Force Base, Va.

Air-To-Ground

B-52Hs, Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

F-15Es, RAF Lakenheath, England.

F-15Ss, Saudi Arabia.

Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses

EA-6Bs, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.

EA-6Bs, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

Command and Control; Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance

E-3 AWACS, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

E-8 JSTARS, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

RQ-4s, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

U-2s, Beale.

RC-135s, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb

Air Refueling

KC-135, Ohio Air National Guard, RAF Mildenhall, England, and McConnell Air Force Base, Kan.