The Cougars of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139 joined VAQ-209 from Feb. 20 to March 6 for Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev. 

Red Flag is an advanced large force aerial war game run by the Air Force for both the U.S. and allied nations.  It is designed to challenge the crews of the aircraft involved both in planning and execution of a simulated war.

The exercise was developed by the Air Force following the Vietnam War, with the objective of improving pilots’ skills in air-to-air combat, specifically after the opposing aircraft were within sight of each other. 

The current focus remains much the same, but incorporates more missions and many more types of aircraft than fighters.  Typical training includes fighter interdiction, attack, air superiority, suppression of enemy air defense, air refueling and reconnaissance missions.

The Cougars joined VAQ-209 as part of a support detachment to aide the squadron in training for their upcoming overseas deployment.  The training proved beneficial for all involved as VAQ-139 was able to qualify a new mission commander as well as advance training for many other squadron aviators. This exercise also provided valuable experience for all squadron personnel as a high tempo simulated combat experience that is unmatched by any other training. 

“Red Flag gave my Intel team a great opportunity to participate in a large force exercise,” said Ens. John Sargent, VAQ-139 intelligence officer. “There is nowhere else in the world that they can get that kind of experience in a training environment.”

Most of the work was completed on the ground in preflight planning. Aircrews often spent more than 12 hours planning for a two-hour flight. They had to coordinate with Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Marine and U.S. Air Force squadrons to bring together their plan. 

Anywhere from 30-70 aircraft were airborne for each sortie, so coordination was very important.  An experienced aviator, Lt. Cmdr Nick Vandegriend of Sioux City, Iowa, feels that Red Flag provides the most dynamic training environment that can be offered.

Good training like this between deployment cycles allows the Cougars to keep their skills fresh. This is also one of the few opportunities a squadron has to work with allied nations and other branches of the military, a skill that proves vital when the Cougars are in combat.

“I thought Red Flag went well,” said Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class (AW) David McCammon of Paxton, Ind.  “It was good to work with the Air Force, for as little as we normally see them. We learned a lot about the Air Force and the jets they had in their hangar.”

“Red Flag was great opportunity for us to showcase our ICAP III EA-6B aircraft throughout this Large Force Exercise which included U.S. and coalition aircraft in the joint environment,” added Cmdr. Darryl Walker, VAQ-139 commanding officer. “Our maintainers and aircrew gained some valuable experience and knowledge working with our sister services and other allied partners.”