RAF joins 70 aircraft from seven countries on one of the largest US-led exercises in history

The UK, represented by a Royal Air Force detachment, is one of seven countries to take part in an American-led exercise, the largest readiness exercise in the history of the United States' Air Mobility Command.

Exercise Mobility Guardian 23 included more than 70 aircraft from the allied nations, taking part over 3,000 miles of the Indo-Pacific region.

And the lessons learned during this exercise will influence deployments for years to come.

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Wing Commander Phillip Foster, RAF Detachment Commander, said: "We stand here in 35 degrees, in a humid climate, 7,000 miles away from home. It's something we're not used to doing.

"The challenges are tyranny of distance for our people, the climate, and the ability to conduct our business without the full resources of home.

"We're here to support and reassure partners with any future requirements for humanitarian aid and disaster relief, or non-combatant evacuation operations because the region's in a complex part of the world.

"We can get into this region in just over 20 hours – that signifies to our partners that in crisis we can be here in short order."

Exercise Mobility Guardian 23, which has also supported several other deployments in the area, was conducted over a two-week period.

The aircraft assisted in transporting equipment, personnel, and supplies in support of other ongoing missions.