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LUFTWAFFE TORNADOS TAKE PART IN RED FLAG

By Stephan Leisge / Ulrich Metternich

The air at Nellis Air Force Base to the north of Las Vegas begins to vibrate, the roar of the engines surges into an infernal background noise. With afterburner engaged, seven German Tornados take off within a period of 90 seconds for a sortie during Red Flag. Not long afterwards the fighters can only be made out as tiny dots on the horizon.

For Flying Officer Wally Ramspott and his "backseater", weapon systems officer Flight Lieutenant Oliver Klessen, it is their first flight over the Nevada desert.. The two officers from Fighter Bomber Wing 31 "Boelcke" (JaboG 31 "B") in Nörvenich are taking part for their first time in what is probably the most demanding exercise in the world. "It is very interesting to fly here. The stark contrast between the desert landscapes and the nearby mountain ranges is particularly impressive," so Klessen describes his first impressions as he arrives back at base.

"Even if today's sortie was intended primarily to get us used the terrain, it has already given us an idea of what we can expect to come our way," he continues, describing the special features of Red Flag. "Whereas in other exercises there might be twenty or thirty aircraft taking part, here up to 120 fighters will be airborne all at once."

Combined Air Operations (COMAO) is the buzzword. A typical Red Flag scenario therefore involves all the operational forces which would also be present in a real emergency. Airborne early warning components such as the E-3A (AWACS) monitor aircraft movements and radio traffic in the "enemy" hinterland, reconnaissance aircraft or unmanned air vehicles take aerial photographs of the target area, KC-10 or KC-135 tankers fly in holding patterns and deliver fuel to approaching or returning aircraft, suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) aircraft such as the EC-130, EA-6B, F-16CJ or ECR Tornado lay an electronic protective shield around the approach corridor or target, thus protecting the next sweep of fighter escorts and attacking fighter bombers.

Transporters, such as the C-130 Hercules, C-17 and C160 Transall, also practise combined operations here. Then we must not forget the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) units, which might be the only salvation for aircrew shot down during action.

Looking forward to the days ahead, there is a discernible mixture of curiosity and rising tension among the crew. "It will be a great challenge for all of us. In any case an operation here is nothing like normal flying operations in Nörvenich. Even at the planning stage there is a lot more work, as a huge amount of information has to be collected within a very short time and then translated into action," explains Ramspott.

A foretaste of the complexity of the exercise was gained at the "in-briefing", at which the local peculiarities of the air base, flying approach and departure procedures, restricted areas and emergency procedures were covered.

Preparations for the individual missions begin following an introduction to the exercise scenario by the intelligence officer in briefings lasting several hours. The crews receive their Air Task Order containing their targets for the next day. Working closely with the other Blue forces' airborne units, the route, objective and timing are then determined. The route is planned so as to avoid enemy air defence positions as far as possible unless they have been neutralised by friendly SEAD support, and different formations are planned with a view to making life as difficult as possible for the Red forces' interceptors.

For Klessen and Ramspott, however, first of all there is a low-altitude flight by night. In the course of the exercise the young officers will feel their way in stages to a minimum altitude of 100ft (approx. 30m). The night-time limit is 200ft, flown using the automatic terrain following system.

Every sortie is followed by debriefings and post-mortems which often last several hours. Together the evaluators and crew attempt to filter out the "lessons learned". The aim of Red Flag is ultimately to simulate the first eight to ten potential combat missions. This experience improves the effectiveness of combined operations and reduces own losses. The saying, "You fight like you train," is vindicated here.

Despite the intensive preparations which begin before the Germans have even set out from Europe, the strain placed on participants by the difficulty of this exercise should not be underestimated. The crew are therefore even more reliant than normally on the full support of everyone in the detachment. Only when each man's attention is 100% on the job can the maximum safety be guaranteed.

Airman First Class Steffen Börner, ground mechanic at JaboG 31 "B", therefore examines "his" Tornado even more thoroughly than usual. "Taking responsibility for the technical safety of the mission can be quite stressful at times," he confesses. "Flying a successful mission depends critically on perfect teamwork," explains Börner after going over the Tornado with a toothpick. "Every serviceman in a wing must perform his assigned tasks in their entirety if the whole thing is to proceed smoothly."

Another element in the intricate structure is Airman First Class Christian Schelte, who works in the operational control centre of the German detachment. "There is quite a different atmosphere in a detachment from normal flying operations back home in the wing. Here everyone works much more closely together than elsewhere," he says.

The team spirit was perhaps even more pronounced among this year's Red Flag team from Nörvenich, as the memory of a Tornado from JaboG 33 which had crashed on 23 March, killing both its crew, was still fresh in their minds. Extremely lifelike training does not come without its dangers.

Red Flag: making the most of the results

Red Flag exercises have been held since 1975. Today Nellis AFB's bombing and gunnery ranges are normally used four times a year for three periods of two weeks of Red Flag operations. Approximately one-quarter of the participants come from countries which are allies of the USA. The rest are made up of the USAF (50%), US Navy, US Marine Corps and Air National Guard.

To maximise training effectiveness, all aircraft movements are recorded down to minute detail by the Nellis Air Combat Training System (NACTS) and later made available during the debriefing sessions in the form of replay. But even during the mission all aircraft movements, radio communications and tactical manoeuvres are followed in real time by trained evaluation personnel from the individual nations on the giant screen in the main auditorium.

As well as video recordings from the many ground stations in the exercise area, it is also possible to have a computer-generated view out of the cockpit of any fighter aircraft displayed. Transponders mounted on the aircraft and telemetry stations in the exercise area exchange flight data on direction, altitude, speed and flight attitude. In a central computer all the data from the different ground stations and that from the aircraft is correlated and translated into an air situation display with many details that can be interrogated. As well as air combat, positional sequences relating to the deployment of missiles and their kill probabilities can be worked out. UM

From page 64 of FLUG REVUE 8/2001