Mad Hatters strike at Red Flag

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office
F-15E Strike Eagles, personnel and equipment from the 492nd Fighter Squadron out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England kicked-off exercise Red Flag 16-4, to conduct air combat training with joint and U.S. allies at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, August 15.

The exercise is held annually at Nellis, with the goal to prepare warfighters for air combat in a realistic training environment from planning to execution.

"This is a great training opportunity for us," said Lt. Col. Matthew Hund, 492nd Fighter Squadron commander. “Exercises like Red Flag give us the ability to train to the high-end fight in a peacetime environment, and teach us to survive and win together.”

Over the next two weeks, the Mad Hatters will test their skills against realistic threat systems and an opposing enemy force that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.

“As the core Fighter Squadron for this exercise, it’s important that the 492nd set the tone and start this iteration of Red Flag off on the right foot,” said Hund.

Red Flag is the U.S. Air Force’s premier air-to-air combat training exercise and one of a series of advanced training programs that is administered by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center and executed through the 414th Combat Training Squadron.