More than 4,500 airmen from 13 countries are taking part in the annual training, which started May 12 and lasts through June 22. Twelve Air Force active-duty, Guard and Reserve units are taking part.
Lt. Col. Mike Fantini, director of operations for the 510th Fighter Squadron, deployed from Aviano Air Base, Italy, said the large number of people and aircraft participating is a bonus, as is the remoteness of the training area. Aviano brought 15 F-16 Fighting Falcons to Cold Lake.
“The lack of flying restrictions and air traffic conflicts -- the NATO team environment -- allows for some excellent real-world-like training,” he said.
The base here is the largest in the Canadian air force and is 195 miles northeast of Alberta’s capital, Edmonton. The town of Cold Lake has about 12,000 residents.
“We might be in a new location, sure,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Prescott, an Aviano F-16 crew chief. “But we’re doing our job the same way, like everyone’s life depends on it.”
Prescott said the exercise pace is hectic, but rewarding. It is a great training opportunity for “young troops,” he said. “The training doesn’t get much more realistic than this.”
With good reason, said exercise planners.
Maple Flag is one of the largest air combat exercises in the world. It provides aircrews the most realistic training possible in a modern simulated air combat environment, Fantini said. And the flying takes place over Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, which covers some 4,000 square miles.
By using the range it is possible to combine large-scale air operations with airborne and ground-based electronic threats in a relatively unrestricted environment, said exercise officials.
Recent joint operations have proven the importance of combined air operations between allied countries. Maple Flag is the training ground for such interaction. And with teams like the Royal Air Force and German air force participating, the dissimilar air combat training is top notch, Fantini said.
“The flying skills we hone here are the ones we’ll use to operate in our air expeditionary force rotation,” he said.
Maple Flag had its origins in the Air Force’s Red Flag exercises -- the Air Force’s premier air combat training exercise -- held at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. In 1978, the first “northern Red Flag” took place at Cold Lake. Since then the exercises have gone from twice to once a year.
Besides the Air Force F-16s -- some from bases in Japan -- there are also A-10 Thunderbolt and F-15 Eagle aircraft participating in the exercise. Aggressor aircraft from Nellis are also taking part. Plus, B-52 Stratofortress bombers, E-3 airborne warning and control system aircraft and C-130 Hercules cargo planes are playing key roles.
Besides U.S. and Canadian forces, there are airmen and aircraft from Denmark, England, France, Sweden, Germany, Singapore, the Netherlands and New Zealand at Cold Lake. Austria, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Turkey sent observers.
