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Tankers at your 6, bandits at your 12

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Randi Norton
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  An Air Force pilot is flying a routine mission; suddenly, he's engaged by a bandit. Without hesitation, he begins evasive maneuvers and gets into a position to take out the enemy before the enemy takes him out.

This is what the Red Flag Exercise 07-02 is all about.

The 319th Air Refueling Wing, the lead tanker unit, joined other Air Force units, Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force units to participate in Red Flag.

With the 64th and 65th Aggressor Squadrons at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., simulating enemy aircraft, all aircrews put their war-fighting knowledge and skills to the test.

Fighter pilots weren't the only ones practicing combat scenarios; the 319 ARW provided aerial refueling, just as it would for real-world operations.

"We're here to confirm what we already do well," said Maj. Pat Day, Tanker Task Force detachment commander. "We have the opportunity to work with fighters, bombers and our allies to improve our war-fighting skills for today's wars and future wars."

As the lead tanker wing, the 319 ARW was responsible for keeping the "war" loaded with fuel. The Warriors of the North flew missions in support of the Blue Force (allies) and the Red Force (enemies).

Just like a real deployment, the Warriors of the North didn't work alone. The 92 ARW from Fairchild AFB, Wash., and the 128 ARW Wisconsin Air National Guard also sent tanker crews to participate.

Together, the joint tanker task force planned day and night missions and practiced refueling various aircraft and escaping the enemy. Red Flag proved to be a valuable learning and training experience for both veteran and new pilots.

"This is the first time most of us get to work alongside fighter pilots," said 1st Lt. Johnny Sherrill, 912th Air Refueling Squadron. "When we're deployed, we only see them during aerial refueling. Here, we're all involved in the planning process."

The aircrews were not the only ones working hard to complete the mission. Maintenance crews from all three wings were there to keep the jets flying.

"Our maintenance people did a fantastic job during the exercise," said Major Day. "We had several maintenance issues but our guys fixed the problem right away and kept us flying."
Red Flag was a chance for both aircrews and maintenance crews from different wings to work together as team for one mission. Each person brought their own expertise and had their own experience, but the exercise overall was a success, said Major Day.