Aggressor Squadron Enhances Red Flag Ops: 
Air Force officials say the airmen of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, from Nellis AFB, Nev., performed up to expectations in their first engagement at the newly renamed Cope Thunder, now called Red Flag–Alaska. The addition of the aggressors make the exercise more closely resemble the original Red Flag, staged out of Nellis—and that was the “key driver” behind the whole idea, said Col. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, the 57th Adversary Tactics Group commander. He added that Eielson would get its own Aggressors at some point.
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
