F-15E fighters from the 335th Fighter Squadron of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., arrived in the Arabian Peninsula last week for a multilateral exercise hosted by the United Arab Emirates.
Alongside the Strike Eagles, A-10s from the Maryland Air National Guard are also participating in this year’s Desert Flag exercise, a spokesperson for Air Forces Central told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The three-week exercise kicked off April 21 and is “equivalent to U.S. Air Force’s Red Flag exercise,” focusing on combat and strategic drills with regional partners to strengthen a unified fighting force for regional defense, the spokesperson added.
Launched at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, this year’s iteration will include diverse scenarios and ample opportunities for allied integration. In addition to the U.S. and UAE, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and South Korea are all participating.
“Air forces from brotherly and friendly nations have arrived in the UAE’s territory to start the multinational joint exercise, Desert Flag 9, for the year 2024,” the UAE Ministry of Defence said on X.
It’s been a busy few days for the F-15Es in the Middle East. Strike Eagles from the 335th Fighter Squadron and the 494th Fighter Squadron, along with F-16s, shot down more than 70 drones during Iran’s strike against Irael on April 13.
“I’m very confident and proud of our joint force, and what they were able to do with our allies and partners and to be able to do what they did on that night,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said about the fighters’ efforts at a Pentagon briefing on April 26. “One of the fighter squadrons showed up like the day prior, and they were right in the middle of the fight. And that says something to our level of training, our level of capability, and then be able to do that as part of a joint team and a coalition.”
Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife also described the shootdowns as a “pretty successful weekend” for U.S. and coalition forces.
“Some of what was shot down was shot down with bullets,” Slife said April 24. “It was 20-millimeter shells coming out of the front end of a fighter. That’s a pretty favorable cost exchange right there.”
In addition to the U.S. fighters, the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force is deploying six F-15SAs, its own model of the F-15, along with their technical and support airmen for this year’s Desert Flag.
The Republic of Korea Air Force, marking their second appearance at the exercise is deploying a C-130H along with 30 aircrew this year to train with the UAE’s C-130s.