Air Forces Southern at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., is in the middle of Blue Flag 07-2, an exercise primarily designed to train those who staff air operations centers. Capt. Nathan Broshear reports that more than 900 US and coalition military personnel have deployed to Arizona for the exercise, which runs through June 28, and others are engaged from locations such as Hurlburt Field, Fla. In Florida, “massive modeling and simulation systems” feed the James H. Doolittle AOC at Davis-Monthan, delivering action from air strikes to downed aircraft and insurgent activity.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.