An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Nov. 22, 2019

142nd FW Guard participates in Checkered Flag 2019

By Tech. Sgt. Steph Sawyer 142nd Fighter Wing

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, FLA. – About 150 Citizen-Airmen from the 142nd Fighter Wing in Portland, Oregon, participated in a two-week joint-service exercise known as Checkered Flag.

The exercise included several airframes from various Air Force and Navy installations, working together to meet combat readiness requirements. The focus of Checkered Flag is to enable the execution of complex, primarily defensive, counter air and fighter integration.

In these air-to-air combat simulations, pilots represent either red air (the threat or opposition) or blue air. Red air pilots imitate aircraft from other countries while blue air pilots implement countermeasures.

Aside from enabling pilots to meet Air Force mandated annual requirements, multi-airframe exercises like Checkered Flag let pilots replicate intricate and demanding combat experiences.

Lt. Col. Jarrod Aranda, director of operations for the 123rd Fighter Squadron at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon, says the training at exercises like Checkered Flag at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida is invaluable.

“We have the ability to expose guys to much more complex training scenarios here that we just can’t get back home because of the limited number of lines [sorties] that we’re able to generate,” said Aranda.

Training scenarios at home station are typically two blue vs. four red, whereas at exercises like Checkered Flag, scenarios will typically be played out with 30-40 blue vs. 40 red.

But while quantity is undeniably important in generating challenging training situations for pilots, the variety of aircraft plays a significant role as well. Working with multiple airframes allows pilots to learn about other platform’s capabilities and how to counter different aircraft.

“Each MDS [Mission-Design Series] has its own specific capabilities, and back home we’re flying with just [F-15] C models,” says Aranda. “But to fly with the F-22, a stealth aircraft out here, and to fly with the Strike Eagle and the vipers [both] with air-to-ground capability, there’s pretty good cross-talk on how each of us executes air-to-air.”

Tyndall AFB hosts multiple Checkered Flag events every year, facilitating training for pilots across U.S. military branches.

 

 

Related Articles
Sgt. Jessica Shields, a water purification specialist with the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard, checks the chlorine levels of the water meant for cooking and cleaning laundry during TRADEWINDS 25 exercise at Teteron Bay, Trinidad and Tobago, April 27, 2025.
Missouri National Guard Water Purification Team Supports TRADEWINDS 25
By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane, | May 1, 2025
TETERON BAY, Trinidad – Few resources are more critical than clean water for sustaining troops in the field. From cooking meals to maintaining hygiene, a steady supply of safe water is essential to keeping Soldiers healthy,...

Group photo of Delta Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion Soldiers standing in front of the Seattle / King County Clinic.
Washington Guard Soldiers Support Clinic Through Language and Compassion
By Joseph Siemandel, | May 1, 2025
SEATTLE – A group of Soldiers from the Delta Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, recently volunteered at a Seattle and King County medical clinic to provide language support for visitors receiving free medical,...

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, deputy director, Air National Guard (ANG), addresses wing commanders and command chiefs at the Wing Leader Fly-In (WLFI) event, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, April 23, 2025. The WLFI is an annual event that brings together senior leaders assigned to each of the 90 wings across the United States’ 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia to collaborate ideas and provide input on critical matters affecting the future of the ANG.
Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In
By Tech. Sgt. Sarah McClanahan, | May 1, 2025
ALCOA, Tenn. – U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, acting director of the Air National Guard, and Chief Master Sgt. Joshua D. Moore, command chief of the Air Guard, hosted Air Guard wing commanders and senior enlisted...