v158th Fighter Wing Public Affairs - Nellis AFB, NV
F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the v134th Fighter Squadron, Vermont Air National Guard, deployed to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to participate in vRed Flag 26-1, one of VATSIM's premier large-force employment exercises.
The v158th Fighter Wing joined a multinational coalition of virtual aircrews to sharpen advanced air combat tactics, techniques, and procedures in a contested, degraded, and operationally limited environment.
The exercise involved the F-15 Eagle, Eurofighter Typhoon, Panviea Tornado, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, F-35A Lightning II, F-5 Tiger II, HH-60G Pave Hawk, E-3G Sentry, RQ-4B Global Hawk, A-400M, KC-135 Stratotanker and the KC-707's. With each aircraft platform having a role to focus their missions on, the Green Mountain Boys focused their F-35s on air-to-air tactics.
We're primarly a SEAD unit, and this vRed Flag our mission has changed to counter-air, specifically DCA or Defensive Counter-Air,” said vCol. Sabre C., the commander of the v158th Fighter Wing. “This Red Flag, our main mission is focused on being the bad guys.”
“We’re always looking for experiences where we get to collaborate, learn, and most importantly, have fun.,” said Johanson. “vRed Flag 26-1 has been the perfect example of this, and we look forward to working together with our team, partners, and community in the future.”
The Airmen of the 158th Fighter Wing stood out as top performers during this most advanced Red Flag exercise, providing 66% to 100% of the RedFor Package over the course of the event.
The v158th FW's participation in vRed Flag 26-1 marks continued investment in Large Force Employment training and reinforces the wing's commitment to maintaining the highest levels of combat readiness.
