Key Points and Summary: The U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy recently conducted a high-intensity Gray Flag exercise, pitting their F-35 stealth fighters against each other in mock aerial combat.
-Taking place near Point Mugu, California, the drills tested advanced tactics, evaluated the AIM-174B missile, and strengthened interoperability between the allies.
-While the results remain classified, both sides executed hundreds of sorties, refining multi-domain warfighting skills.
-The exercise underscores the growing importance of joint stealth operations, particularly in countering future threats like Russia or China.
-As F-35 deployments increase globally, training events like Gray Flag will continue to shape modern aerial warfare.
Navy’s Gray Flag Tests F-35 Tactics Against a Stealth Opponent
Nothing is better than some military competition conducted by two allies with two popular aircraft. I am referring to drills between the United States and the United Kingdom that saw both sides flying F-35s.
This is one of the few times that F-35s have gone up against each other, and it became a display of which side had the better pilots who could push the envelope with the stealth fighters.
What Is the Gray Flag Exercise
The combined force exercises were part of the U.S. Navy’s “Gray Flag” annual drills last fall.
It was two weeks of intense activity around Point Magu, California.
British F-35Cs and U.S. Navy F-35Cs took it to the limit to check out aerial tactics and maneuvers.
Pilots and ground crews could see which side could operate more efficiently in notional aerial combat. Evaluators also tested the AIM-174B long-range air-to-air missile.
“Together they form a United Operational Test Team, developing tactics, testing sensors, software and kit with the goal of ensuring the fifth-generation fighter remains ahead of current and future threats,” the Royal Navy said in its press release.
Hundreds of Sorties Flown by the Brits
The British also revealed that they executed 600 sorties in 60 tests to gather data on best practices during the war games.
The United Kingdom will eventually have 138 F-35B jets for use with their air force and navy. Forty-eight of these will be ready later this year.
Stealth-on-stealth is a good way to improve aerial tactics, techniques, and procedures for both sides.
The U.S. Navy said, “Gray Flag is an annual large-force test event that brings the joint force together to test and evaluate multi-domain systems in a maritime environment, ensuring our nation’s warfighters are equipped with effective, interoperable systems that will help them deter aggression, protect our nation’s prosperity and security, and return home safely to their families.”
We Don’t Know Who ‘Won’
Neither the United States nor the United Kingdom revealed who got the best of each other up in the skies with their F-35s.
Rest assured, the pilots were using the opportunity to show off.
This has the makings of a potential documentary that would give the public an idea of how competitive fighter pilots are when they get a chance to raise the stakes.
However, the two militaries did not want to divulge the classified material of F-35 tactics publicly.
But Gray Flag shows that the Americans and British believe they could fly together someday against Russia if the worst happened, and Vladimir Putin decided to attack a NATO partner.
The F-35s have excellent interoperability, and that was the idea behind the Joint Strike Fighter program – for allies to use the same fighter and have the activity overseen by organizations such as NATO.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, conducts flight training operations over the Utah Test and Training Range on Feb 14, 2018. The F-35A is a single-seat, single engine, fifth generation, multirole fighter that’s able to perform ground attack, reconnaissance and air defense missions with stealth capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)
Gray Flag is a great way to train. Both sides had confident things to say about the exercises, and they will likely have learned many lessons after an after-action review is conducted.
One thing they will look at is aerial communication during the drills. Determining who said what, who kept their cool, and who talked confidently will be ways to evaluate the exercises.
How About a Flying Documentary Narrated by King Charles III?
My money is, of course, on the U.S. Navy pilots but I have watched the Top Gun films too much and the latest documentary on the Blue Angels naval demonstration team.
Maybe it is time for the Brits to have their movie to display Royal Navy and Royal Air Force prowess. King Charles III served in the Air Force and the Navy. He is a certified pilot who received his wings in 1971. The king would love to show just how good British pilots are, and he could even narrate the feature.
F-35 Training for the Ages
All kidding aside, the Gray Flag annual exercise is a valuable test of stealth aviation that challenges personnel to operate at the highest levels.
US F-35. Image Credit: Lockheed Martin.
Using F-35s is an interesting way for the Americans and the British to evaluate their pilots. Look for these drills to happen again later this year, and we will be watching to see how they evolve and if they will use F-35s again.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
