US military flies the friendly skies – VIDEO
An F-15E Strike Eagle from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho takes off during a Red Flag 15-3 exercise at Nellis Air Force Base on Tuesday. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., head off for a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., heads off for a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16CM from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, heads off for a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16CM from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, heads off for a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
Photographers shoot a F-15E Strike Eagle from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, as it takes off during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
A Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet from Air Station Beaufort, S.C., takes off during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
A Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet from Air Station Beaufort, S.C., takes off during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, takes off during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, heads off during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
A B-52H from the 69th Bomber Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., gets ready to launch during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., heads off for a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An EA-6B Prowler from Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., gets ready to launch during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An EA-6B Prowler from Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., gets ready to launch during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, heads off during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-15E Strike Eagle from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, flies off during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, gets ready to launch during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-15E Strike Eagle from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, takes off during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
An F-16CM from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, heads off for a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
A KC-135 Stratotanker from the U.S. Air Mobility Command gets ready to launch during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow Erik Verduzco on Twitter
The third Red Flag 15-3 exercise at Nellis Air Force Base this year is under way, running through July 31.
Maj. Joe Haggerty is the team chief for the 414th Combat Training Squadron at Nellis, which runs the air combat exercise over the Nevada Test and Training Range north of the base. He said more than 100 military aircraft from the Air Force, Navy and Marines from bases across the United States are participating as well as between 2,000 and 3,000 crewmembers and support personnel.
