2015-12-16 The Second Line of Defense team joined the media day held by the Air Combat Command on December 15, 2015 to learn more about the trilateral exercise, which featured the F-22s, working with Typhoons, and for the first time with Rafales.
We have reportage on the discussions and panels during the day, but the core focus was on shaping approaches to operating together in high-end operations.
As we shift from the assumption of air dominance, to being able to ensure such dominance in contested areas, the three air forces worked together on shaping ways to provide for the capability, which can be delivered by an integrated five generation, enabled air force.
A key element of the exercise was enhancing the capabilities of the air fleet to work among the pilots horizontally and not just directed hierarchically from an AWACS, which is a key aspect of a fifth generation enabled force.
The Typhoons from XI squadron had been to Langley in 2013 for training with F-22s, but this was the first time for the Rafales.
As all three aircraft pass the 10-year operational mark, there is enough combat experience under their collective combat belts to take the next step, and not simply be the best aircraft in each individual air force, but to come together to craft a much more powerful coalition capability.
During the media day, our RAF colleagues provide us with a number of videos, which highlighted the event and specific aspects, from the British point of view.
In this video, an RAF pilot discusses the exercise.
RAF Pilot Discusses the Trilateral Exercise from SldInfo.com on Vimeo.
Credit Video: UK Ministry of Defence