Blue Flag 2019 exercise -First ever all 5th Gen fighter drill

The Blue Flag 2019 exercise, Israels Top Gun, is taking place for the 4th time in the Ovda Air Base in Southern Israel. The Blue Flag 2019 exercise takes place every two years and this is the 4th such exercise since 2011, when it started. The exercise includes 5 nations – Israel, the US, Greece, Germany and Italy (and one more unofficial nation – more beneath) and is the first drill which is all 5th generation jets. The drill includes 1023 airmen, ground crews and other personal and dozens of jets, transport and refueling air crafts.

In the exercise, the pilots from all nations split into Red and Blue teams, mixed with each other, and dog fight each other. Additionally, the teams are under threat and need to avoid or suppress heavily saturated Anti-Aircraft, electronic warfare and radar zones just like in real battlefield scenarios. All flights and war games are according to NATO standards and methodology. For example, in the IAF, in aerial refuelings jets come in from the right, but in NATO from the left.

The Israeli delegation – F-16I Sufa’s, F-15’s and F-35’s!

The Israeli participants in the Blue Flag 2019 are F-16I “Sufa” from the IAF 201st squadron from Ramon AB in southern Israel and F-15 form the 133rd squadron from Tel-Nof AB not far from Tel-Aviv. The drill will include, for the first time in ANY international exercise, also F-35’s from the IAF’s 140th squadron near Nevatim, also in southern Israel. Also, the Italian Air Force are there with their F-35’s stealth squadron. According to Mako, a senior Israeli Air Force source said “flying against Adir’s (F-35) is a very challenging task. They pull us forward and lets hope the crews use them smartly”.

Greek Air Force – Permanent participant and maybe the Best in Dog Fighting

The Greek Air Force will be attending with their F-16 ADV’s. Few are aware of it, but Greek pilots are actually one of the best in the world, at least in dogfighting. The reason is because they routinely “train” with the Turkish AF who violate Greek air space daily over the Adriatic sea. The two airforces tag each other but almost never open fire. And Israel itself, on its end, today is the best in the world in aerial bombing while suppressing/avoiding anti-aircraft systems and radars. Why? Over 200 bombing raids in Syria against Iranian and Hezbullah targets. And all that with only one plane downed. This is not a cliche, but the Israeli and Greek AF’s would make the best air force in the world. And both are training in today’s Blue Flag and have been doing so routinely for the past 15 years. Especially, since Israel’s “affair” with Turkey ended since Erdogan came to power. And they train together at least once a year – either in Greece, Israel, or in other exercises.

German Air Force – Luftwaffe – Sends legendary jet Squadron created by Hitlers ace

The German AF participating in the Blue Flag 2019 exercise is squadron “Wing 71”, and includes 6 Typhons and 140 ground crew members. The German AF created Wing 71 in 1959 and the creator was one of Hitler’s top aces, Erich Hartmann. It was West Germany’s first jet squadron. “Everywhere Germans and Israelis meet, the history is in the background, but these days we don’t talk about collaboration but friendship” as the German AF website says about the exercise. “The Joint exercise with the IAF has special meaning for Germany. Experts agree that the Israeli forces are one of the best in the world and for Nato countries, it’s an opportunity to train and learn from Israeli methods in the next two weeks.”.

Unbelievable photo of a special embroidered Blue Flag German Air Force Luftwaffe patch with the IAF symbol on it

And one more “secret” participant

And one more country which seems to be an unofficial participant, according to a lead Israeli security journalist, is Jordan. The claim is that numerous F-16A/B’s are taking part and there are ground of photos them in Ovda.

Preparations for the exercise takes almost a year because of the large logistics, personal and different types of aircrafts involved. But another reason is because Israel’s aerospace is so limited and saturated with civilian and other military flights. So such an event, which sometimes includes dozens of aircrafts simultaneously airborne, needs super careful and precise planning.

Mutual drills – Quantum leap for participants

These international exercises are extremely important, for all participating parties, and also for the famed Israeli Air force. And despite its reputation as being the best in the world and with such a unique set of threats. One reason is because when training with different armies it raises your confidence levels. Training with someone new, like a new job or relationship, can be exciting yet scary. You need to use your creative juices to make it work. And doing these mutual exercises, and successfully completing it, raises the confidence levels of all involved.

But more importantly, these joint drills enhance and enrichen your abilities. All participants get exposed to new methodologies, tactics, strategies, procedures, military “corporate” cultures that exist in other armies. And eventually, the learn and adopt what works best for them. One unbelievable example from previous Blue Flag drills and which shocked foreign armies is how lean and efficient Israel’s ground crews are. The Israeli Air Force is smaller than the German, Italian and of course the US counterparts. Yet its ground crews are one third the size of their Italian counterpart – per jet! Meaning they need 3 times as many personal for the job. And not only that, the Israeli air force crews are mostly young conscripts, ages 18-21, while the Italians ones are older and more expensive career soldiers. This is one lesson foreign airforces are studying and trying to implement in their own air forces.

Israeli and Greek Air forces in their previous joint drill, Nemesis

Blue Flag – Strengthens Israel image and deterrence

But there is one more reason, for Israel specifically, why exercises which take place IN ISRAEL are so important for her – they strengthen her. They give her strategic and economic power and influence and enhance her reputation as a powerful nation. And that, of course, is always important in a violent and unstable place like the Middle east. Having one of the biggest and most prestigious aerial drills in Israel only enhance that image. It also strengthens her strategic ties with other Mediterranean nations, like Greece and Italy.

Israel’s participation in foreign drills started in the ’70s. Until 1973 it wasn’t high on Israel’s priority to train with foreign armies. Both for budgetary reasons and because it felt its threats were unique, but also because of hubris from previous victories. Especially the Six-day war, which shot the IDF’s reputation to mythical heights. The 73 war, and the perceived “loss” (even though, in strictly military standards, it was actually one of Israel’s biggest victories), brought Israel’s defense establishment back to reality and also the notion that it too has a lot to learn from foreign armies also.

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