Ramstein Flag 26 was held from northern Norway to southern Spain and involved personnel from 18 nations. The exercise included 17 participating air forces operating from 20 locations across Europe.
The exercise focused on integrated air and missile defense, information and intelligence sharing, counter anti-access and area denial operations, and Agile Combat Employment. For airmen from RAF Lakenheath, it provided an opportunity to strengthen interoperability with NATO members while validating the wing’s ability to project combat airpower from dispersed locations.
Liberty Wing airmen flew more than 120 sorties with 12 F-35A Lightning II aircraft during the exercise. They accumulated more than 285 flight hours while supporting a demanding multinational training schedule.
Generating that level of tactical air capability required coordination among U.S. Air Force operations, maintenance and support personnel. It also depended on cooperation with U.S. Marines and Allied forces, including the Finnish air force.
“Being in Finland has been amazing, through the culture that we’re able to experience to seeing how they do their jobs,” said Staff Sgt. Richard Johnson, 493rd Fighter Generation Squadron dedicated crew chief. “Something that’s really stood out to me is just the way they operate…It goes both ways – we teach them and they teach us.”
Maintainers and support personnel from the 48th Fighter Wing, Marine Air Control Squadron 2, Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 and Satakunta Air Wing played a critical role in sustaining aircraft readiness. Their work helped generate the high sortie rate required throughout the exercise’s operational tempo.
That coordination was visible from the flightline to the air. Airmen, Marines and NATO counterparts operated as a cohesive force, allowing aircrews to focus on multinational integration and refine tactics in complex scenarios.
“Anytime you get a chance to integrate with different nations and Allied partners, there’s always a ton of things to learn,” said Maj. John Bynum, 493rd Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations and Ramstein Flag 26 operations project officer. “We all have different capabilities across the force between F-18s, F-16s, F-35 Strike Eagles, Raptors…Seeing how that coalesces in the airspace and then turns into tactics and then ultimately creates effects, that’s probably the best part.”
Ramstein Flag 26 also allowed the 48th Fighter Wing to further validate Agile Combat Employment concepts. Aircrews conducted advanced live-fly training while planning and executing suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses from geographically dispersed locations.
Airmen from multiple career fields launched, hot-pit refueled and recovered U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs and Royal Navy F-35B Lightning IIs. They worked alongside U.S. Marines and Finnish air force personnel, proving the tactical Mission Ready Airmen concept on both a joint and international scale.
By operating with other U.S. services and Allied forces, the 48th Fighter Wing increased NATO Alliance cohesion. The wing also demonstrated its ability to rapidly generate and employ combat airpower in support of collective defense across the Euro-Atlantic region.
“Our roster is deep,” said Chief Master Sgt. Paul Fletcher, 493rd FGS senior enlisted leader, about the 48th FW’s ability to bolster NATO objectives. “Our bench is deep. We have super talented people who are energized and ready. No matter what’s thrown at us, the 48th Fighter Wing will get the job done.”
The exercise highlighted the role of RAF Lakenheath-based airmen in NATO’s wider air operations. It also showed how dispersed F-35A operations, multinational maintenance support and joint integration can contribute to deterrence and readiness in Europe.
