Enhancement of Pakistan Air Force and USAF interoperability is a key goal of
Pakistan's participation in this year's Red Flag and Green Flag exercises.
It took six days and four stops for six Pakistan Air Force pilots to fly six F-16Bs over 7,700 miles from Mushaf Air Base in northern Pakistan to Las Vegas to fly and train in Red Flag 10-4 and Green Flag 10-9 exercises at Nellis AFB.
Approximately 100 maintenance, support and aircrew personnel arrived here in mid-July and have already completed the intense two-week Red Flag exercise, which concentrates on large force combat employment.
"Red Flag has given the PAF the opportunity to deploy its assets and personnel around the world," said Group Captain Javad Saeed, the Pakistan Detachment commander. "It has also provided a contemporary air combat training environment for our less experienced aircrew members."
The PAF flew 57 air interdiction sorties in 12 days. "For PAF to participate in Red Flag, it required training and proficiency on air-to-air refueling operations," Captain Saeed said. The PAF, with U.S. Air Force support, was able to gain that proficiency and refuel 50 times for a total transfer of 110,900 pounds of jet fuel.
The captain said deploying to Nellis has given them the opportunity to interact and operate in a joint environment, allowing every person, unit and nation involved to learn from each other. He added that Red Flag provides a rich training environment shaped by different professional forces and nations.
[snip...]
The Pakistan Air Force didn't leave after Red Flag but is staying for an additional three weeks in order to participate in Green Flag 10-9. Green Flag runs from Aug. 8-19 and is an exercise that focuses on close air support of ground troops. Joint terminal attack controllers working on the ground talk to pilots flying overhead and direct them in to provide close air support on the 1,000-square-mile National Training Center near Fort Irwin, Calif.
By: Shelldrake
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