Military aircraft from the Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the United States Air Force have assembled in Nevada for a major multinational air combat training operation, part of the annual Exercise Red Flag series hosted at Nellis Air Force Base.
RAF Typhoon fighter jets deployed from the United Kingdom to the United States, travelling via Lajes Field and Charleston. The transatlantic movement was supported by aerial refuelling aircraft and a transport platform, enabling personnel, equipment and spare parts to arrive alongside the combat jets.
Exercise Red Flag 26 1 is scheduled to run from 2 February to 14 February 2026 and is designed to expose participating crews to complex, high intensity scenarios that replicate the pressures of modern warfare. Operations take place over the Nevada Test and Training Range, more than 2.9 million acres of restricted airspace used for large scale integrated air and surface activity, providing scope for realistic mission planning that would be difficult to achieve in busier civilian airspace.
The RAF contingent includes Typhoon FGR4 fighters, a Voyager air to air refuelling aircraft and a Rivet Joint reconnaissance platform, supported by more than 300 personnel drawn from flying squadrons, engineering units and intelligence staffs. Aircrew have deployed primarily from bases such as RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth, ensuring representation from across the Typhoon force.
During the exercise, participating nations are organised into two opposing sides, Blue Force representing allied units and Red Force flown by specialist American aggressor squadrons trained to replicate the tactics and manoeuvres of potential adversaries using a mix of fighter types painted in distinctive camouflage schemes.
Officials from the participating air forces say the deployment is intended to sharpen operational skills, improve interoperability and reinforce long standing defence relationships between allied nations, while ensuring crews remain prepared for future missions in an increasingly complex air environment.
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