RAF

Typhoons Take To Desert For World's Largest Air Combat Exercise

Typhoons from Lossiemouth have deployed to Nevada to take part in 'Red Flag', the world's largest air combat exercise.

The RAF's 6 Squadron have been taking part in the exercise for three weeks, training alongside their US and Australian counterparts.

They've been given a chance to test themselves against a range of air warfare scenarios.

The training space at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada is unlike anything in Europe, offering 15,000 square miles of airspace.

The RAF Typhoons are flying two waves of six aircraft every day alongside US Air Force B1s and F-22 Raptors.

But this year has also brought a new aircraft into the mix: the F-35A Lightning, which is making its first appearance on this exercise.

It'll be a welcome addition for the RAF, who are getting ready for the arrival of their F-35B next year.

The exercise has been taking place since 1975 and has remained a regular fixture, now running four times a year because it has proved so valuable.

The current exercise is tagged as 17-1, and is due to be followed by 17-2, 3, and 4 later this year.

It offers complex scenarios with 2,000 possible targets simulating air-to-air, air-to-ground, space, and even cyber-attacks.

The hope is that by the end, all squadrons will leave better prepared and better integrated.