An RAF Typhoon seen departing Nellis AFB for the first round of Exercise ‘Red Flag' earlier in 2024. The second round saw the force conduct ACE training out of March ARB in California. (Crown Copyright)
The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoon Force has stepped up its Agile Combat Employment (ACE) preparations, embarking on an intensive multinational training exercise on the west coast of the US.
BAE Systems, which supports the Typhoon Force, announced the ACE work recently undertaken by 3 (Fighter) Squadron and 6 Squadron as part of Phase 2 of Exercise ‘Red Flag', conducted out of March Air Reserve Base (ARB) in California.
“Almost every exercise [the RAF Typhoon Force] now conducts has an element of ACE in it – all of which is designed to give the force greater flexibility on how, when, and where it deploys from. That's why straight after [Phase 1 of] ‘Red Flag', instead of returning to their home base, the UK detachment relocated from Nellis [Air Force Base (AFB) in Nevada] to March Air Reserve Base in California,” the manufacturer said on 1 July. “This wasn't just to extend the trip for the sake of it. It is part of the RAF's ACE thinking.”
While the initial two-week phase of ‘Red Flag' at Nellis AFB earlier in 2024 comprised mostly long planning periods followed by short periods of intense flying activity, the second follow-on phase at March ARB saw the opposite.
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