RAF's Largest UK Exercise In A Decade Finishes

The largest military exercise to be run by the Royal Air Force in the UK for more than a decade has finished after three weeks.

Exercise Crimson Warrior involved personnel and aircraft from the RAF as well as from the Royal Navy, British Army, US Marine Corps (USMC) and US Air Force.

Seventy aircraft, including jets, helicopters and unmanned air systems, completed a range of missions during the exercise, operating from stations across the country. 

The exercise was a development of the regular Cobra Warrior exercises with missions added to support the work of the F-35B Lightnings and helicopters that will form the Carrier Strike Group Air Wing.

It began on 19 October and also marked the end of the Qualified Weapons Instructor Courses (QWIC) which trains certain personnel to be expert practitioners in a warfare specialty or aircraft.

As future tactics instructors, the QWIC students have been tested in both air and ground roles, often in the same mission, training them to adapt to any challenges.

Exercise Director, Group Captain Rob Barrett, said: "Exercise Crimson Warrior is the UK’s premier live airborne tactical training event of the year and the directing staff from the Air & Space Warfare Centre’s 92 Squadron have taken great pride in delivering this extremely demanding and complex exercise.

"All the participants have gained valuable experience in the integration of Air and Space power roles." 

The exercise’s inclusion of the F-35B challenged the UK Lightning Force and their USMC counterparts in different air environments.

The exercise also aimed to test Joint Personnel Recovery.

RAF Regiment Gunners from 3 Force Protection Wing and 15 Squadron RAF Regiment trained teams in the skill, working alongside the Chinook Force to react to "downed aircrew" scenarios. 

Cover image: A Chinook during Exercise Crimson Warrior (Picture: RAF).