Tulsa ANG maintainers demonstrate excellence at Red Flag

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amber Hardison
  • 138th Fighter Wing Unit Public Affairs Representative
TULSA AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Okla. --  Personnel from the 138th Fighter Wing participated in Red Flag combat exercise 28 Feb-14 Mar, at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Red Flag-Nellis is conducted on the Nevada Test and Training Range and involves U.S. and allied forces from all branches of service.

Each Red Flag exercise normally involves a variety of interdiction, attack, air superiority, defense suppression, airlift, air refueling and reconnaissance aircraft.

The 138th Fighter Wing received the Outstanding Maintenance Unit Award, after completing Red Flag training at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada. 

"Due to good planning before we left for Nellis, we were able to avoid any challenges that might have come up which helped keep our focus on the mission," stated Capt. Quentin Tibbetts, 138th Maintenance Squadron.  "Also, when other units needed help with parts from Tulsa, and when our guys could, they helped active duty personnel with maintenance tips and training."

The airmen of the 138th FW displayed confidence, and expert knowledge while executing 127 sorties and fully utilizing the training aspect of the exercise to teach younger airmen.
Within a typical 12-month period, more than 1,200 aircraft fly 20,000 plus sorties while training more than 26,750 personnel at Red Flag. 

Since combat is no place to train aircrews, Red Flag provides a peacetime "battlefield" within which our combat air forces can train. Inside this battlefield, aircrews train to fight together, survive together and win together. 

Red Flag is the Air Forces top air-to-air combat training exercise and is held four times annually.