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American F-35As and F-35Cs joined forces during Checkered Flag 24-2, one of the Department of Defense’s largest air-to-air exercises.

At Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, airmen and Marines trained alongside soldiers and sailors to deliver “decisive combat airpower with rapid response.”

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Squad Goals

"So now we’re learning how the Air Force does business and in return, they get to learn how we do business,”  Staff Sgt. Joshua Cofield, a maintenance control chief with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311. “This way, if we’re ever in a location where there are F-35s, or Air Force, or Navy, we can all be on the same page and share equipment, tools, qualifications and experiences like that.”

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Cleared Hot

Some aircraft participating in Checkered Flag also joined Weapons System Evaluation Program East, the Air Force’s joint program to evaluate air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons employment. 

“This is the first time our pilots are actually going to see a missile come off of their aircraft,”  Capt. Alex Nielsen, an F-35 pilot with Vermont’s 134th Fighter Squadron. “We’re here so they get that real-world experience, building confidence so that the first time they (fire their weapons) isn’t in a combat situation.”

These joint, high-end exercises highlight a key advantage for NATO: the ability to move advanced 5th Generation airpower assets forward quickly to support and defend allies.