EXCLUSIVE: Inside world's most advanced top gun exercise as UK prepares to face new threats
In an unimaginable display of precision, RAF top gun pilots refuel their jets mid-air as the battle for air supremacy takes a sinister twist - and the Mirror went along for the ride
At 20,000 feet over the Nevada desert, a Royal Air Force Voyager tanker holds steady as two British Typhoons manoeuvre into position for mid-air refuelling.
This delicate, high-stakes operation is a crucial element of Exercise Red Flag, the world's most advanced dogfight training exercise designed to prepare military forces for the ever-evolving threat posed in modern warfare.
Held at Las Vegas's Nellis Air Force Base for the past 50 years, it pushes pilots and aircrews to their limits, training them to operate in high-threat, contested environments. But with Russia and China rapidly advancing their military capabilities, Red Flag 2025 has shifted its focus.
It is no longer just about dogfighting and missile strikes - this year's training incorporates cyber warfare, space-based threats, and electronic attacks. In doing so, the UK and its allies recognise that the next major conflict will be fought not only with jets, ships, and tanks but also with hacking tools, satellites, and artificial intelligence.
RAF fighter pilot Flight Lt Calum Falconer is one of the 370 British servicemen and women currently out in Las Vegas taking part. The 27-year-old top gun is not under any illusions about how his job is now evolving as new threats take shape.
"We are certainly adapting our training to include cyberwarfare and space," he tells us. "We definitely look at that a lot more now. It's vital that we work together and bring together the different resources we have to ensure we are prepared for whatever threat future adversaries may hold. This training is key for the UK and the defences we work hard to ensure."
Falconer, who trained in the US, says working closely with American and Australian forces is key to keeping the world a safer place. "It is all very well training in UK airspace, but it's only when we are together in person that we form such close relationships and can have those discussions," he says.
"We can speak about certain topics that we couldn't otherwise, and when the lessons are identified and when we identify lessons, we can learn them, take them forward, develop new tactics and then use them in the future."
This year, around 2,700 personnel from the RAF, United States Air Force (USAF), and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have converged in the Nevada desert to prepare for a future war that will extend far beyond the traditional domains of land, sea, and air. Part of the two-week exercise simulates what a potential threat from China could look like.
US Colonel Eric Winterbottom, the Commander of 414th Combat told the Mirror: "Red flag evolves to match the priorities and the potential threats out there. So right now, it's pretty much a China scenario.
"We have another flag (exercise) that we do. That is our international flag and we cater to the participants. So we'll have a Middle Eastern that's two, as we call it, in the spring. That will be a Middle East scenario. But our dash two and dash three, there'll be a China scenario."
Ever since 1975, Red Flag has always tested pilots in extreme combat scenarios, from large-scale air battles to precision strike missions deep in enemy territory. However, as global threats evolve, so must the training to counter them.
For the first time,the exercise is fully integrating space and cyber warfare into its combat scenarios. Threats include attacks on military satellites, jamming GPS signals, and disabling aircraft radar systems with electronic interference.
The pilots must now operate in an environment where enemy forces can blind them from space, shut down their communications, and launch cyberattacks to disrupt their targeting systems.
As modern militaries become increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure, these vulnerabilities have become a primary focus of adversaries like China and Russia.
Cyber warfare has the potential to cripple air defences, disable missile guidance systems, and turn an advanced fighter jet into a useless hunk of metal. Recognising this, Red Flag is training its aircrews to fight through digital chaos, forcing them to adapt to scenarios where their technology is compromised, their aircraft are flying blind, and their orders have been intercepted by the enemy.
RAF Group Captain Guy Lefroy, who heads the British role in Red Flag, is uncompromising over how well-prepared UK forces and their allies are as threats increase. "I don't think we individually as a nation or collectively with our allies have been in a better position before," he says.
He adds how vital Red Flag is in preparing the RAF if war broke out. "The headline position, especially with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, has put things very much in stark focus," he says. "But fundamentally, the way that we go about that is no different now than it was 50 years ago when this place started up and two years after that when the UK was the first foreign participant as well.
"So we have always analysed what we think the adversary capabilities are and then use that knowledge to practice using what we have and to better integrate what we have and to understand what it is that we need to develop to maybe fill in what we think is some of the gaps."
Group Captain Lefroy continued: "Our capabilities are fantastic on paper," he says, "but until you actually exercise them and get the people who need to use them familiar with how they work, then there's always going to be a degree of uncertainty to the extent that you really know what it is that you're going to achieve when you field it."
Military strategists now consider space the next great battlefield, with adversaries developing anti-satellite weapons that could knock out GPS networks, disrupt surveillance, and sever military communications. This year's exercise simulates a conflict in which adverse forces launch a coordinated attack.
Around 30 jets - which include Typhoons, F35, F18 Growlers, and A10 Warthogs - play the enemy, forcing the RAF and allied forces to adapt to any given condition. The pilots are forced to find ways to operate without relying on satellite support - a reality that could become crucial in any future war against a technologically advanced opponent.
The US Space Force is also involved in Red Flag, working alongside aircrews to develop countermeasures against satellite attacks, space-based missile systems, and electromagnetic interference. These new challenges force RAF pilots to think beyond the battlefield they can see, preparing them for a war that could be decided before a single shot is fired in the air.
As the longest-running foreign exercise participant, the RAF plays a crucial role in shaping the exercise's direction. This year, it has deployed Typhoon fighters, refuelling tankers, and electronic warfare teams, ensuring that British forces remain fully integrated with their US and Australian counterparts.
The RAF's Voyager KC2 tankers play a vital role in sustaining long-range combat operations. Carrying up to 132,000lb of fuel, it can remain airborne for up to 12 hours as it acts as a petrol station in the sky for jets. They allow fighters to remain in the air longer, extending their operational reach.
Meanwhile, RAF electronic warfare specialists are testing their ability to detect and neutralise cyber and electromagnetic attacks, ensuring that pilots can fight through interference and maintain control of their aircraft. With increasingly sophisticated air defence systems, Red Flag incorporates simulated surface-to-air missile threats, cyberattacks, and electronic deception tactics to create a realistic and unpredictable battlefield environment.
Pilots must navigate through heavily contested airspace, engaging enemy fighters while evading physical and digital attacks. The war in Ukraine has provided a sobering lesson on modern warfare, proving that air superiority can no longer be taken for granted.
Advanced drone technology, electronic jamming, and cyber warfare have changed the way battles are fought, and Red Flag is adapting to these new realities. Russia has repeatedly used electronic warfare to disrupt Ukrainian military operations, highlighting the growing importance of countering digital threats.
China, meanwhile, has rapidly expanded its space capabilities, developing anti-satellite missiles and advanced cyber tools designed to cripple enemy infrastructure before a war even begins. For RAF pilots, Red Flag is about learning not just how to fight against enemy aircraft but how to survive in an environment where every system they rely on could be under attack.
As military technology continues to advance, this vital exercise is expected to evolve further. Future Red Flags will likely incorporate artificial intelligence, autonomous drone swarms, and hypersonic missile threats, pushing aircrews to develop new strategies to counter next-generation weaponry. For now, as the latest exercise unfolds, British pilots and ground crews are proving their ability to operate in one of the most demanding training environments in the world.
They are not just preparing for the air battles of today - they are training for the hybrid, multi-domain wars of the future, where the ability to adapt to space and cyber threats will be just as critical as aerial combat skills.
Against the backdrop of an uncertain global security landscape, the RAF's participation in the world's most advanced air combat exercise is a clear signal that it stands ready for whatever challenges lie ahead.