The 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw AFB, S.C., just hosted Operation Iron Thunder, a four-day exercise involving aircraft from various states and countries. One phase of the exercise pitted approximately 85 “Blue air” aircraft against about 15 “Red air” aggressors as Blue tried to protect a target; the other phase reversed the situation. Participating aircraft included USAF F-15Es, F-16s, B-1Bs, an E-3 E-8C Joint STARS, and KC-135 tanker. USAF and the Royal Air Force each sent an E-3 AWACS, while the Navy provided F/A-18s.
The U.S. continued to move a significant amount of airpower toward the Middle East in recent days as talks to forge a nuclear deal with Iran hung in the balance. Flight tracking data indicate there was unusually heavy movement of dozens of fighter jets and other assets that might be…
