75th Fighter Squadron A-10Cs, participating in Green Flag West 11-9, caught at Nellis September 1, 2011

According to Nellis AFB Public Affairs, the 75th Fighter Fighter, 23rd Fighter Group, 23rd Wing, Moody AFB, Georgia, participated with some A-10Cs in exercise Green Flag West 11-9, which officially runned from August 12-25, 2011. Warthog News contributor Bruce Smith from the United States had the opportunity to take the following shots:



A-10C 78-0701 from the 75th Fighter Squadron. (Photo by Bruce Smith) Full size



A-10C 79-0159 from the 75th Fighter Squadron. (Photo by Bruce Smith) Full size



A-10C 82-0657 from the 75th Fighter Squadron. (Photo by Bruce Smith) Full size



A-10C 80-0180, marked 476FG. (Photo by Bruce Smith) Full size

Related press release:

Green Flag West 11-9 runs Aug. 12-25, 2011

Release Number: 080311
Posted 8/12/2011 Updated 8/17/2011

8/12/2011 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Southern Nevada and Southern California residents will continue to see increased military aircraft activity as the Air Force flies Green Flag West 11-9.

Missions will take place at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and will be flown between 6 p.m. and midnight the first week and 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. the second week during the exercise, which ends Aug. 25, 2011. The flight path for exercise aircraft include areas within Las Vegas valley, to and from Nellis Air Force Base and the NTC, near Mount Charleston, and north of Pahrump in Nevada; as well the Mojave Desert near Fort Irwin in both Inyo and San Bernardino Counties in California.

Conducted by the 549th Combat Training Squadron located at Nellis and the 12th Combat Training Squadron located at Fort Irwin, Green Flag West provides a realistic close-air support training environment for Airmen and Soldiers preparing to deploy in support of combat operations in Southwest Asia.

"This is the premier training exercise preparing our Airmen for combat deployments," said Lt. Col. Robert Chavez, commander of the 549th CTS. "It's where U.S. Air Force, joint, and coalition aircrews hone their air-land integration skills and prepare for success in support of our current operations."

An unscripted battle exercise, which provides units with training on a scale not available at or near their home stations, Green Flag West replicates irregular warfare conditions currently found in Iraq and Afghanistan. Aircrews, working closely with Air Force joint terminal attack controllers embedded with the 1st Armored Division, fly close air support, aerial reconnaissance, and other missions to support 6,000 Soldiers who are engaged against an opposing enemy force in a 1,000-square-mile combat environment.

"Green Flag is an invaluable asset," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Terry Ferrell, commanding general of the NTC. "They complete multiple objectives established for their pilots of various airframes. More importantly, the aspects from Green Flag--from fighter to jammer to air-refuel capability employed--ensures they can achieve the training objectives they need to reach and we see how they are going to employ in various conditions."

Units from the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied nations regularly participate in Green Flag West which is held throughout the year.

The 55th Fighter Squadron, from Shaw AFB, S.C., is currently participating in Green Flag West 11-9, flying their F-16 Fighting Falcons. The 75th Fighter Squadron from Moody AFB, Ga., will also participate in the exercise with their A-10 Thunderbolt IIs.

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