Blue Flag 21 Analysis. Who are the Participants and What they want to achieve through this Exercise?
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has simulated a range of Russian-made surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems during Exercise ‘Blue Flag 21', the biennial multinational event it is hosting at Uvda Air Force Base from 17–28 October. IAF officers said S-75 (SA-2), S-125 (SA-3), 2K12 Kub (SA-6), 9K33 Osa (SA-8), and Pantsir-S1 (SA-22) SAM systems are being simulated using a variety of emitters that include the new Scorpius-T training system made by Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI's) Elta subsidiary. Ground teams have also simulated launches from man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) and the ‘red force' that is playing the role of the enemy includes an Israel Patriot air-defence battery, as well as F-16 fighters from the IAF's 115 ‘Red Dragon' Squadron and F-35I Adir fighters. Blue Flag is a military aviation exercise held by the Israeli Air Force. It first took place in November 2013 at Ovda Air Force Base in Israel. The exercise, which included the participation of several foreign air forces, is aimed at expanding international cooperation. Plans on making "Blue Flag" a biennial event were realised in 2015 with another "Blue Flag" exercise in which the air forces of the United States, Greece and Poland also participated. The goal of the Blue Flag training exercise is to simulate extreme combat scenarios and coalition flights as realistically as possible. In 2017 the exercise hosted air forces from the United States of America, Poland, Italy and Greece—and for the first time India, France and Germany participated as well. The Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom is expected to take part in Blue Flag 2020, which would be the first time they have openly trained in Israeli airspace.
