Page 9 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, February 19, 2021

8 February 19, 2021 Desert lightning news s. nevaDa Desert lightning news s. nevaDa February 19, 2021 9
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KC-135 Stratotankers:

ReseRve maintaineRs keep FueLING THe FIGHT

flying by Airman 1st Class Dwane Young Force, joint partners and allied nation

Nellis AFB, Nev. aircraft for more than 50 years.
“This is my first Red Flag, and it’s
Red Flag 21-1 is now in the record amazing,” said Senior Airman Edwin
books. Mensah, 906th ARS boom operator. “I’ve
Pilots, crew members and maintain- been refueling aircraft for five years now,
ers look to find their stride within the but you really don’t get to do it at this level
frenetic pace of day and night missions. unless you deploy.”
Those who look to the skies over Nellis Red Flag provides essential training for
Air Force Base, Nev., can bear witness to its participants, but for Capt. Titan Miller,
the revolving door of aircraft constantly 906th ARS KC-135 pilot, it also serves as
taking off and landing during Red Flag. a benchmark of accomplishment.
Tasked with refueling these aircraft Miller participated in Red Flag ten Air Force photographs by Airman 1st Class Dwane R. Young
during Red Flag 21-1 was an integrated years ago as a Boom Operator and now An F-22 Raptor fighter jet, assigned to the 525th Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-
Air Force photographs by Staff Sgt. Paige Yenke team from the 906th Air Refueling Squad- returns as a KC-135 pilot. Richardson, Alaska, begins its refueling run over the Nevada Test and Training Range
Staff Sgt. Scott Stump, 926th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, works on an F-16, Feb. ron, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and the 91st “This moment for me is a dream real- during a Red Flag 21-1 exercise Feb. 1, 2021. Red Flag trains pilots and aircrew together to
6, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. ARS, MacDill AFB, Fla., and their KC-135 ized,” ‘said Miller. “Red Flag is designed to build a more lethal, resilient and adaptable coalition force.
Stratotankers. give you critical experience and no matter
by Natalie Stanley ing tempo increases, but we simply The KC-135 Stratotanker has provided the job you perform, after you leave here,
Nellis AFB, Nev. flex with it,” said Chief Master Sgt. aerial refueling for the United States Air you leave better.”
Matthew Bennato, 926th AMXS, 4th
The Citizen Airmen of the 926th Air- Generation Aircraft Maintenance Unit, Capt. Titan Miller,
craft Maintenance Squadron fulfilled superintendent. KC-135 Stratotanker
their mission of ensuring aircraft were For junior maintenance technicians, pilot assigned
Staff Sgt. Darren Howell and Staff Sgt. Gregory Deas, 926th Aircraft Maintenance t o t h e 9 0 6 t h
Squadron, work to ensure an aircraft is fit to be back in the flying rotation, Feb. 6, at ready to fly at Red Flag 21-1, which took who have little to no experience, the Air R e f u e l in g
Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. place Jan. 25 through Feb. 12, at Nellis sizeable Red Flag exercise provides op-
Air Force Base, Nev. portunity to receive invaluable training. Squadron at Scott
Senior Airman The Red Flag exercise provides real- With a packed flying schedule, the Air Force Base, Ill.,
Javel Singleton, istic, multi-domain training in a com- 926th AMXS leadership have had to be prepares for take-
Tech Sgt. Jaime bined air, ground, space and electronic flexible due to COVID-19 guidelines, off during a Red
Hastings, and threat environment while allowing the ensuring the mission is accomplished Flag 21-1 exercise
Senior Airman free exchange of ideas between forces. while keeping their Airmen healthy. at Nellis AFB, Nev.,
Kaleb Moyer, The maintainers, who are seamlessly “We’re balancing fluid COVID-19 Feb. 1, 2021. The
926th Aircraft integrated with active duty on a daily restrictions and directives,” said Ben- KC-135 refueled the
Maintenance basis, provide safe and reliably main- nato. “Travel and civilian employment Red Forces known
S qu a dr o n , tained aircraft to the total force team circumstances have constricted par- as the “Aggressors”
r e m o v e a and Red Flag is no exception. ticipation of those maintainers who live d u r i n g thi s
weapon from “Our maintainers bring expertise out-of-town, but our flight chiefs have exercise.
an F-16, Feb. and continuity to the mission every been very creative in meeting our train-
6, at Nellis Air day, the only difference for us during ing objectives and providing Reservists
Force Base, Nev. Red Flag is the maintenance and fly- a path for success.”

red flAg, from Page 6 ________ exercises. By using Global Positioning 21-1. Additionally, they work closely with them so they can prepare to compete and First Lt. Darlene Hajewski, KC-135
System and satellite communications cyber aggressors to provide realistic lay- win in all-domain combat operations.” Stratotanker pilot assigned to the
is a full day of academics teaching those adversary effects, the squadron provides ered effects to multiple space and cyber Red Flag provides mission ccommand- 906th Air Refueling Squadron at
who are going to be in mission planning Air Force, joint and coalition military organizations participating in Red Flag. ers the opportunity to lead in a contested, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., converses
the rules of engagement and what the personnel with an understanding of how The white forces are neutral players degraded and operationally limited envi- with air crew during an aerial
other players bring to the fight, providing to recognize, mitigate, counter and defeat who help steer the exercise. They provide ronment with multi-domain assets and refueling exercise over the Nevada
them a baseline of what they need to start these threats. inputs to the blue and red players and international allies — a training experience Test and Training Range during Red
on day one.” “As a unit whose mission is to know, help control the pace and intensity of the that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Flag 21-1 Feb. 1, 2021. KC-135 pilots
Tactical mentors from the 328th teach and replicate enemy threats — we exercise. “Any realistic training against a near- communicated with inbound aircraft
Weapons Squadron provide guidance and support the USSF blue players who are A challenge many international players peer or competitor nation is going to and the boom operator in the rear of
direction for the non-kinetic planning cell currently pushing their individual mis- and USSF units can expect to face during require heavy utilization of multi-domain the aircraft during the sortie.
members, which enables them to bring sions forward in an effort to train expert exercise planning and execution is being operations. The classical role of the Air
the most up-to-date tactics to Red Flag. Guardians,” said Maj Scott Hollister, 26th new to the joint all-domain integration Force being able to penetrate an airspace An F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet
The red forces provide realistic ad- SAS’s flight commander of Adversary game. protected by an Integrated Air Defense assigned to the 64th Aggressor
versary threats for the blue team to fight Plans Flight. “This includes teaching “For most participants, this is their System is no longer a problem set that Squadron (AGRS) begins its refueling
against. One red force player is 26th Space representatives from our joint and al- very first time participating in Red Flag,” can be solved using Air Force assets and run over the Nevada Test and Training
Aggressor Squadron (SAS), an Air Force lied partners on how to employ specific said Taylor. “For the space and cyber non- capabilities alone,” said Taylor. “Red Flag Range during a Red Flag 21-1 exercise
Reserve unit with the 926th Wing based tactics.” kinetic functional team leads, it may be aims to train how we fight against modern Feb. 1, 2021. The NTTR is comprised of
at Nellis. These USSF reservist partners provide their first time doing mission planning. potential adversary capabilities. In order more than 12,000 square miles of air
The 26th SAS mission is to replicate threat replication training to Remote For the pilots, it may be their first time to do this, we have to bring together air- space and 2.9 million acres of land,
enemy threats to space-based and space- Pilot Aircraft (RPA), plus various fighter seeing non-kinetics, space or cyber inte- borne capabilities with the emerging ca- where pilots execute missions during
enabled systems during tests and training and bomber platforms during Red Flag grated into the air fight. We introduce it to pabilities of both space and cyber units.” Red Flag.