EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- RED FLAG-Alaska 18-3, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment begins Aug. 9 and continues through Aug. 24, 2018.

Flight operations will be located over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. The JPARC has a total airspace of more than 67,000 square miles over Alaska and a portion of Western Canadian airspace.

“For Red Flag-Alaska 18-3, we have participants from some of our closest allies, Australia, Great Britain and Canada,” said Col. Shawn Anger, the 354th Fighter Wing vice commander. “Additionally we have almost all of our joint partners with participants from the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps.”

Since its start as COPE THUNDER in 1976, thousands of people from all four branches of the U.S. Military have participated in RF-A.

“RF-A is a truly unique opportunity where participants from across the U.S. military branches and allied services get a chance to learn from each other while also training our newest wingmen for combat,” said Maj. Nicholas Haussler, the 353rd Combat Training Squadron director of operations.

More than 100 aircraft will be based at and fly from Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.