- 2 days ago
Red Flag is the international training exercise for air forces of allied countries where many of the world's best pilots meet for the most challenging flying of their careers. Experience final training for pilots and their aircrews before being sent into actual combat.
在进入实际战斗之前, 飞行员及其机组人员进行最后的培训. 战机行动 (红旗) 是针对盟国空军的国际培训活动, 世界上许多最优秀的飞行员, 为他们的职业生涯中最具挑战性的飞行提供了机会.
在进入实际战斗之前, 飞行员及其机组人员进行最后的培训. 战机行动 (红旗) 是针对盟国空军的国际培训活动, 世界上许多最优秀的飞行员, 为他们的职业生涯中最具挑战性的飞行提供了机会.
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TVTranscript
00:34My grandfather was a fighter pilot.
00:37He flew one of the greatest fighters of all time, the F4U Corsair.
00:47He flew throughout the Pacific in World War II.
00:50He was at Guam, Midway, and Okinawa.
00:55He was awarded all kinds of medals, including three Distinguished Flying Crosses and 11 Air
01:01Medals.
01:07When I was a kid, I thought he must have won the war all by himself.
01:17My parents named me John after him, and he was my hero.
01:22And when I grew up, I wanted to be a fighter pilot, just like my grandpa.
01:29Otter 1, clear for takeoff, unrestricted, climb to flight level 250, then as filed.
01:33See you guys in a couple moments.
01:35Otter 1, England Tower, a moderate flag up one, and good luck in Las Vegas.
01:43To be continued...
01:48To be continued...
02:10Otter 1, Miami Center. Contact Houston Center 238.5. Otter 1, heads up traffic 350, 6 miles, 22,000 feet
02:19eastbound.
02:39As a young guy, out of flight school, flying the most powerful fighter ever built, it's hard not to think
02:44of yourself as pretty cool, and I did.
02:57The solider is here and is here.
02:59The first star hit the pole is this, right?
03:08The 너무 Eunice Center is a good idea.
03:10The two stars, the plane, the Savior, the ship is a great idea and the sun.
03:26When my squadron went to Nellis for my first red flag, I was excited for sure, but I'll
03:31tell you, I was a little nervous about what I was getting into.
03:34Otter 1 is clear to land, runway 21 right.
03:36Looking forward to being here in red flag.
03:38Otter 1, Nellis Tower, copy gear down.
03:51Nellis Tower to go for.
03:54Nellis Tower, Choco 1-1.
03:57Face number one with the gear.
03:59Welcome to Vegas, boys.
04:01Choco 3, one face gear to stop right.
04:04Welcome to Nellis.
04:18Here at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, 128 aircraft from six countries have assembled
04:25for the largest air combat exercises in the world.
04:29For the next 14 days, these aircraft and their crews will undertake a simulated air war.
04:36For many, it will be the final tune-up before they go into actual combat.
04:40They call it Red Flag.
04:45Get cut!
05:04Take your seats.
05:06Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
05:07To our American pilots and crews, and especially to our allied partners, I'd like to be the
05:12first to welcome you to Red Flag.
05:15Nations from the round world are gathered here today, including countries from Germany with
05:20their tornadoes, Italy with their F-16.
05:23Here I was, surrounded by the best fighter pilots in the world.
05:26But I think that all of us young pilots felt like we had something to prove, that we deserved
05:31to be there, and I wasn't any different.
05:33In fact, together, you currently represent the second largest combat air force anywhere
05:39in the world.
05:49On the first morning of Red Flag, the Nellis flight line prepares to launch an enormous international
05:55armada of aircraft, all in about 20 minutes.
06:03There are 22 F-15 Eagles, representing four American squadrons.
06:09They are considered by many to be the greatest fighter aircraft ever built.
06:16The Germans have brought eight of their European-built tornadoes.
06:22The Canadians, the multi-role F-18 Hornet, arriving from Alberta and Quebec.
06:32The British Royal Navy has flown in their famous Harrier jump jets.
06:47Represented here are not just the best pilots and aircraft, but the finest ground crews from
06:52each country.
07:06For most personnel, this will be their first opportunity to compare themselves with other
07:11squadrons from across the United States and around the world.
07:14Eagle 2-1, on the pole. Eagle copy.
07:19Actually clear now for a second area in five.
07:22Let's go.
07:26Number 1 confirmed.
07:38Rail 1, contact ground.
07:40Rail single ship began...
07:41Rotation flight, go.
07:41... ama mommar.
07:46Chili says Patel SA.
07:52John hago, how?
08:09I tus commander out of South Zeligy.
08:12Sniper 1, clear takeoff. Let's make it happen, boys.
08:19Bands on Ellis Tower, you're cleared for takeoff.
08:24Sniper 1, flight holding a soft shot request cross-star runway 2-1 to hold the team at zero.
08:47Chaco 2-1, Nellis Tower, unrestricted climb approved. Contact band side, 358. Tower, Chaco 2-1, copy.
09:00It has long been known that if fighter pilots could survive their first ten combat missions,
09:06their chances of surviving throughout their careers improves dramatically.
09:12Red flag was created to provide those first ten missions, and they make it as real as humanly possible.
09:20What is about to happen is considered by pilots to be more challenging and dangerous than war itself.
09:37A ghostly B-2 heavy bomber floats toward the battlefield.
09:41Their job is to destroy the ground-based missile launchers before the enemy is even aware of the coming battle.
09:50A pair of stealth F-117s follow close behind.
09:55B-1s have arrived from an undisclosed distant location to provide additional bomber support if necessary.
10:07A U-2 begins its long climb to the edge of space, sending intelligence to the AWACS surveillance aircraft.
10:21On board the AWACS is Airboss Major Rob Novotny. He will monitor the air war about to take place.
10:29AWACS.
10:30AWACS crews use inputs from space systems and radar to understand the battle situation.
10:36Each aircraft broadcasts real-time telemetry that appears as three-dimensional imagery on board the AWACS.
10:45In this war, most of the aircraft are good guys, known as the Blue Force.
10:52The bad guys are the Red Force, or the aggressors.
10:58The bad guys fly 12 highly maneuverable F-16s.
11:03They are among the finest pilots in the United States Air Force.
11:08Sniper one is ready.
11:11The tractor is the Red Force's mission commander.
11:25For most of the pilots, Red Flag is their first taste of an air battle on a massive scale.
11:31There is no other way to prepare air crews for the real thing in all its precision, complexity, and finally,
11:38chaos.
11:39Check-in.
11:40Great, and Viper's checked in as well, correct?
11:42Yeah.
11:43Talk to me about the strike package here, what are you showing?
11:45We've got the Viper flight of two established in the north.
11:49Right.
11:49Eagle flight established in the south.
11:51You got green guys right there, are those the Canadians?
11:53And we got Canadians or the orange guys up to the north.
11:56I thought the British were the orange guys and the green guys were the Canadians.
11:59I thought we had a tractor.
11:59British are green, Canadians are orange.
12:02Okay, yours.
12:08Five miles out, both sides begin firing heat-seeking missiles.
12:13Sniper flight, deploy to tactical formation.
12:17Let's give them all they can handle.
12:22Flares are used to distract the inbound missiles from enemy aircraft.
12:26Choco flight, commit. Group Bows I-3302.
12:29Lights on Choco, copy.
12:50As planes are hit and declared killed, they turn white on the Naxxist screen.
12:55The good guys then must disengage and return to base.
12:59The aggressors get to regenerate and return to the fight.
13:04Once the battle begins, the air boss and his team struggled to keep 128 aircraft from six countries from smashing
13:12into each other.
13:13You see here, Viper flight's northbound at 6,000.
13:16You need to get on the phone right now.
13:18Get Viper and Taco move and they're gonna hit.
13:27Two miles.
13:28Two miles in closing.
13:28Using simulated machine guns, a classic dogfight ensues.
13:33Traffle bandsaw threat, 360, 12, 10,000.
13:41Sniper 1's Tally 2 ship, off my nose.
13:43Gullet the ship, off my nose.
14:04Schoco's threat, you're six. Three miles.
14:07You're possible.
14:15It's number one, they're giving me a good fight.
14:34Chaco 2, what's your status?
14:46Chaco 2 is defensive.
14:48Chaco 2 is tolly one.
14:49Good try, but not good enough.
14:55He's number one, he's pretty good.
14:57But I'm moving in for the kill.
15:01Chaco 2 is eastbound defensive.
15:09Sniper one, target there.
15:12I'm moving in for guns.
15:17Chaco 2 is eastbound defensive.
15:19Chaco 2, close.
15:21I've got shots in the air.
15:28Chaco 2-1, keep the turn going.
15:30Mad, at 6 o'clock, Jake.
15:38Sniper one, guns, guns, guns.
15:51Showtime, copy kill.
15:53Yeah!
15:54Chaco 2-1, showtime, you're dead.
16:01Red Flag is not a contest or a competition.
16:05There are no winners or losers.
16:07It is about training and saving lives.
16:11I was killed on my first mission at Red Flag.
16:14I was mad.
16:15And I had a long, lonely flight back to base to think about it.
16:33The commanders walk a very fine line.
16:37In order to save lives in real combat, they are forced to take very real risks in training.
16:42They are pushing the limits in a controlled environment.
16:46However, what I want to do is not talk about the ingress route.
16:50I want to talk about, instead, a near mid-air collision that we had up here in the EC West
16:56area.
16:58Chaco 1 flight, you briefed us earlier today that you were going to maintain your route unless you deviated up
17:05here to the north.
17:05Nobody knew about it because you failed to communicate your change in flight path.
17:09As a result of that, eight people nearly lost their lives today at Red Flag.
17:15Don't let it happen again.
17:18The range restrictions for today's sortie remain unchanged.
17:21EC East, West, the 70 series ranges, you're cleared supersonic.
17:25My fears of screwing up single-handedly were largely unfounded.
17:29We all made mistakes.
17:31And we knew we had to fix them if we wanted to get through the next two weeks.
17:40In modern warfare, these pilots will have the most to fear from the ground below.
17:46Surface-to-air missiles fired from every conceivable platform have proliferated by the millions worldwide.
17:53Here we have the SA-13 and this radar is the snapshot radar.
17:58Next to, on the other side...
17:59They call it the threat center.
18:01Equipped entirely with enemy weapons, it is based on the same principle used in science museums.
18:08If visitors can get their hands on the exhibits, it's a more effective learning experience.
18:14You have one that isn't driving, you have a second one up at the top that operates a 90-millimeter
18:18gun.
18:19The pilots call it the petting zoo.
18:21Some guys got a big kick out of it and would go back and play around again and again.
18:27But I didn't see much value in it, at least at the time.
18:31It has a vertical range of 49,000 feet and a horizontal range of about 69,000 feet.
18:36It fires 15 rounds per minute each round laying about...
18:39I don't think we appreciated the efforts of the intelligence people as much as we should have.
18:44It's not until much later when the missiles start flying around your ears.
18:49And you think, I should have listened a little more when they were talking about this stuff.
18:53Well, it's scanning.
18:54Now you have the gunner sitting in the front and the pilot behind him.
18:58The gunner is responsible for all the weapons.
19:00The only weapon that the pilot can control is the front gun.
19:08At 5 a.m. each day, they search for perhaps a single pebble blown overnight onto the runway by the
19:15desert wind.
19:16One tiny pebble that otherwise might get sucked into an aircraft's engine.
19:21It's quite possible for a crew to lose both their aircraft and their lives before even leaving the ground.
19:43Choco Flight in from the south. Low searching.
20:03Six hundred miles an hour. Under the radar. Hugging the rocks.
20:08And at the same time, you're trying to outthink and outfly the enemy.
20:15You make a mistake down low, and smack right into the rocks.
20:24That's what fighter pilots live for.
20:36Radar contact. Enemy force is ten miles south.
20:39Choco one. Copy. Four south.
20:46You got Eagle one and two involved in this low altitude fight. Is that right?
20:49Yes, sir. Those are ours.
20:50Are they getting some help here in the north?
20:51Yes, sir. As soon as they're coming in from the north.
20:53Okay. We need to make sure you get that information real quick.
20:55Right away, sir.
20:56We need some help.
20:58Choco one and two in from the north.
21:01Choco two, tally two. Left ten o'clock. Three miles.
21:21Here, a squadron of F-15 search enemy territory for potential targets.
21:28Tractor and his aggressors have an edge in these games. This is their playground.
21:34They have chased visiting pilots through these canyons for years. They make a formidable enemy.
21:40Sniper flight. Most kills wins. Let's go.
21:53The object is to get the enemy in front of you while at the same time watching your backside. And
22:00then get as close as possible before being detected.
22:14Possible Migs.
22:15Tuck the ones engaged up to get low.
22:19Tuck the ones engaged up to get low.
22:28Tuck the ones engaged up to get low.
22:36The pilot in front has few options. He must lose ground quickly in order to get behind the aggressor. In
22:44the blink of an eye, the hunter becomes the hunted.
22:48That into larry.
22:52Navy missiles, banded and flaring.
22:57Tuck one, snap.
23:00Sniper two, spiked. They're targeting me.
23:15Sniper 1, I have an Eagle at my 6 o'clock. Closing.
23:19Competitive engaged in offensive.
23:49It helped to win a few battles, to build confidence, but it became less about keeping individual
23:56scores and more and more about a successful overall mission.
24:01Shooting down the bad guys is extremely important, but it's just a small part of the greater
24:07objective.
24:08If the bombs don't hit their targets, none of us has accomplished our mission.
24:43To be continued...
24:45Let's go.
25:18The missions become more and more challenging as Red Flag progresses. Combat periods are extended in length and intensity, and
25:26exhausted pilots are often required to refuel their aircraft simply to make it back to base.
25:35Believe it or not, sometimes the toughest part of the mission is just getting there and back. Refueling is one
25:43of the most challenging skills to master.
25:45It can be a serious situation if you can't take on fuel. In real combat, if you run out of
25:51gas and have to eject, you risk being captured.
26:00More one. Stabilizer ready.
26:06Number one, looking for 100,000 pounds.
26:11Red five one, clear to contact. Roger.
26:15Red five one, contact.
26:17There is no margin for error. If a pilot takes too long connecting with the fuel boom, he or she
26:24may endanger the lives of pilots at the end of the line.
26:33Sniper two, wind two seven zero at six, clear to land. Gear down, field in sight.
26:48Four flight, short final, clear to land.
26:51Four two, gear down.
26:55Chaco two, Nellis Tower. State the nature of the emergency.
26:58Chaco two has left engine malfunction.
27:01Chaco two, Nellis Tower. Emergency crews are responding.
27:14Low level flying is particularly hard on fighter aircraft.
27:19Engines suck in dust and even birds.
27:21Because squadrons are visiting from around the world, there are rarely spare aircraft in case of mechanical problems.
27:29Ground crews are put under intense pressure to keep their aircraft flying.
27:36Mechanics are well aware that a small error in the assembly of the engine could result in a fatal explosion,
27:42either on the testbed or in the air.
27:48тяж
28:09Cargarr going up to max.
28:37There were stories that my grandfather told me as a kid
28:39that began to come back to me once I was a pilot.
28:43The machine gun that jammed, the gas tanks sitting in your lap waiting to blow up, the
28:50parachutes they didn't always have time to put on.
28:57I remember he said they were more proud of the bullet holes in their aircraft than they
29:02were of their metals.
29:11They all wanted to shoot down the enemy, but I think my grandfather changed his views
29:16as he got older.
29:17He admired the young enemy pilots and their incredible bravery.
29:23I remember he spoke with them with respect.
29:34After 22 hours of hard work, an F-15's engine is readied for the next mission.
29:39At Red Flag, they seek to exceed the intensity of a combat environment.
29:45Not just for the pilots, but for the mechanics and ground crews as well.
29:53It is difficult enough to turn out a perfect aircraft at the best of times.
29:57To do so in wartime, when rushed, exhausted and under fire, is an art form like no other.
30:08Today is the halfway point at Red Flag.
30:11However, we all know that planned missions are easy ones, and this mission today is not planned.
30:17From my own personal combat experiences and those of us at the Red Flag staff, I can tell
30:22you it's the unplanned missions that are the most dangerous ones, and that's why we've added
30:25this mission to the Red Flag course.
30:26You're going to have to go further into enemy territory, because lives are at stake.
30:31If all of you aren't at the top of your game, people are going to lose their lives today.
30:38Manson Jolly-1, one jumper away, looks like they have one good ship.
30:43Manson, copy that.
30:51Ladies and gentlemen, I've just been told that we've lost an aircraft, and we have a pilot
30:54on the ground.
30:55We know his general location, however he's on the move.
30:58And the reason he's on the move is right here.
31:01The enemy is doing everything they can to capture him.
31:15They give you no warning whatsoever for this exercise.
31:19You have nothing except what you would normally carry in the aircraft's ejection seat.
31:24Water, flares, radio, and makeup.
31:48In this exercise, the commander can communicate via satellite with a downed pilot.
31:53But the pilot on the ground must remain silent in order not to give away his position.
31:58Speaking in coded language, he warns the pilot of the approaching danger from both the ground
32:03and the air.
32:04Tell your man to get down now.
32:05He needs to take cover.
32:069-5-1, seek it.
32:079-5-1, enemy helo south to your position.
32:10Pull up now.
32:30The first thing is to hope and pray that the enemy doesn't know about you in the first place.
32:36The timing is everything, because when you use the radio or flares, both sides are coming.
32:54Quarantine, we're progressing north and abort the capture.
33:0328, west, 115, 06, 19, 67 vehicles running.
33:09With enemy choppers moving in to pick up the downed pilot,
33:12the Airboss calls in slow-flying A-10s to eliminate the helicopters.
33:16Foreflight, threat 270, seven enemy helas, low altitude.
33:21Engage.
33:32And snake point, abort, abort, abort.
33:469-5-1, possible.
33:48Landing zone is clear.
34:04When they came to pick me up,
34:05I wasn't completely sure if they were the good guys or not.
34:13To the search and rescue team,
34:15the man on the ground might not be a friendly at all.
34:19He could be wearing a stolen uniform and have a bomb strapped to his body.
34:26He will be treated like the enemy until he proves otherwise.
34:37I really thought the search and rescue was going to be silly.
34:41But when I saw the PJs were training in earnest,
34:44that they were fully prepared to do it for real.
34:48To risk their lives for someone they didn't even know.
34:52I was truly humbled.
34:55All jollies, excellent work.
34:57Return to base.
34:58Advise if minics required.
34:59I want copies.
35:01Thanks.
35:12Without red flag, I began to appreciate the idea that I was part of a team.
35:17That everyone's role was just as important as mine.
35:33My grandfather didn't talk much about himself,
35:36but he did talk about the friends he made.
35:39Ground crews, mechanics, other pilots.
35:51One of his best friends was a Corsair pilot killed in a training accident.
35:56And I know, it bothered him for the rest of his life.
36:07Throughout the history of air combat,
36:10countless air crews have successfully brought their battle-damaged aircraft home
36:14only to die on the runway a few feet and a few moments from rescue.
36:59Many of us have lost friends in accidents.
37:03It's a lot safer than it used to be,
37:05but it's still a dangerous business.
37:11There are crews at Red Flag that you want coming in after you
37:14if you're stuck in a burning plane.
37:17People not much concerned for their own safety
37:19who will get you out of there no matter what.
37:22Go ahead.
37:45Approaching the final missions of the Red Flag,
37:48the dummy weapons are traded for the real thing.
37:58In a single overnight shift,
38:01hundreds of live bombs are prepared for the next day's operation.
38:05Again, there is pressure to perform as would be expected
38:08in a combat environment.
38:23They work quickly, but with great care.
38:29A slight error in a critical setting
38:31could destroy an aircraft and its crew.
38:56There are risks for the bomb builders as well.
38:59They work deep in the bottom of a canyon miles from the base
39:03in the event that something does go wrong.
39:13What I'm about to show you is the enemy's last attempt
39:16to fortify their front-line forces.
39:18We've learned that they're bringing everything forward that they can,
39:21surface-to-surface rockets, tanks, and anti-aircraft guns.
39:26Everything we've done at this point has been for training.
39:29Today, we're going to do it for real,
39:31and we're going to give them everything that we've got.
39:38In a real war, the vast majority of flights
39:41are undertaken not by fighters and bombers,
39:44but by transport and tanker aircraft.
39:51At red flag, a giant C-17 using GPS navigation
39:56practices precision dropping of humanitarian supplies.
40:06Fands on.
40:07Chocoblite on station.
40:08Strike package inbound.
40:09Picture clean.
40:10With the weapons we have today,
40:12hitting anything but the intended target
40:15is the worst thing a pilot can possibly do.
40:44It's the worst thing a pilot can possibly do.
40:55Get out of here.
41:21Let's go.
41:50Let's go.
42:14Red flag was my first real experience to witness live orderings.
42:20And it was sobering indeed.
42:26Shaco flight, target's destroyed, 10 minutes of fuel remaining.
42:30Pants on copy.
42:34Seven or eight, and it looks like the southern target's strike flight was successful with them.
42:39So we got everything.
42:40The spring run from them, looks like we got it all.
42:43We got it all.
42:44Yeah.
42:44Okay.
42:44Good work.
42:45And the eastern and western target, no problem there.
42:50Let's bring them home.
42:52And softball one, targets hit with Bingo fuel.
42:55Foreflat roger, return to base.
42:57Chava flights return into base.
43:02Going in, I thought red flag was a chance to prove myself.
43:06Then it became all about pulling off a good mission.
43:08And there was a lot of personal satisfaction in that.
43:12But now, thinking back, what I learned at red flag was not just about how good I was or wasn't.
43:19It was the sense of becoming part of something more important than myself.
43:23Becoming part of a community of people with so many skills.
43:27Making personal sacrifices.
43:29Looking out for each other and getting the job done.
43:31Come on.
44:04I made friends with pilots and crews from all over the states and around the world.
44:09Brits, Canadians, Germans, Aussies.
44:21It was a wonderful experience, and I'll remember it as long as I live.
44:37I've been lucky to have many great wingmen to watch over me.
44:41But there is one who's been with me the longest.
44:45And to me, he remains the greatest hero of them all.
44:58My grandfather said that being a fighter pilot was the best job on Earth.
45:08He also said that going to war was worse than anything I could possibly imagine.
45:16I would have to say that he was right on both counts.
45:18I would have to say that he's going to be right on both counts.
45:21But I was like, oh, I'm doing fine.
45:22And I will.
45:23And I will.
45:31And I will.
45:33And I will.
45:37And I will.
45:37And I will.
45:38And I will.
45:39And I will.
45:39And I will.