The location of all the surrounding units, such as F-15Cs in New Orleans and the tankers in Jacksonville. “We don’t have any civilian traffic, we have two runways, and the airspace to the south is unencumbered. “What makes Checkered Flag so unique and special is Tyndall,” Orsua said. With unhindered access to more than 180,000 square miles of airspace over the Gulf of Mexico, participants can take off and get into the fight quickly. The location of Tyndall provides a premier site for Checkered Flag. Checkered Flag allows these units to fighter integration across these platforms.” “We have multiple F-22s Strike Eagles and those aircraft would be expected to fight together in real world DCA conflicts, but they don’t train together frequently.

“These units are integrating different levels of aircraft,” Orsua said. More than 115 aircraft and 15 joint squadrons from across the country participated in the exercise, with 71 of those aircraft and 2,000 personnel operating out of Tyndall. Navy fleets, to include fighter, tanker, electronic warfare and command and control aircraft. “We train on defensive counter air conflicts, which our forces getting attacked, so how we would posture our forces to defend those assets.”Ĭheckered Flag 21-2, which started May 10, focused on integration of the U.S. “Hoolio” Orsua, Air Combat Command Exercise Branch, Checkered Flag director. “Checkered Flag is focused on air dominance execution,” said Lt Col. The largest Checkered Flag exercise held to-date wrapped up at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, May 21, 2021.Ĭheckered Flag, one of the Department of Defense’s largest air-to-air exercises, is a two-week long, large-scale aerial exercise designed to integrate fourth and fifth-generation airframes to enhance mobility, deployment, & employment capabilities of aviators and maintainers.

Download checkeredflag com