JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
The 1st Fighter Wing is on its second week of ATLANTIC TRIDENT 17, an exercise at at Joint Base Langley-Eustis focusing on leveraging fifth-generation fighter capabilities with partnering nations.
For the past week, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II pilots have flown combat training missions with Royal air force Typhoon Eurofighter and French air force Dassault Rafale pilots to develop tactics, techniques and procedures to defeat adversaries around the world.
These anti-access/aerial denial missions, or A2AD, utilize U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle and T-38 Talon pilots as adversaries. The nature of A2AD missions provide a highly-contested environment where adversaries have the upper-hand, creating barriers that limit U.S. and allied efforts.
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entering WWI. Col. Peter Fesler, 1st FW commander, said he looks forward to the opportunity of training with the nation’s longest-standing allies.
“We’ve been side-by-side together, the Brits, the French and the Americans in air combat,” said Fesler. “This exercise is an extension of that. I think this is an opportunity for us to continue to refine our skills, our tactics, techniques and procedures to fight the war that we all know is coming. We don’t know where, we don’t know when; but we know it’s coming, and we’ve got to be ready to fight together.”
In addition to the A2AD training, the U.S. Air Force and French air force are scheduled to display their capabilities with aerial demonstrations provided by the F-22 Demo Team and the Patrouille de France.