Blue Flag (Israeli Air Force Exercise)

Blue Flag grew out of the Israeli Air Force's effort to train alongside partner nations in realistic, large-scale aerial-combat scenarios. Planning for the inaugural exercise took more than a year, with the IAF conducting two training flights a day during the final six months of preparation.[3] A Polish delegation that had trained alongside Israeli pilots for months ultimately withdrew from the first exercise because of budget constraints, illustrating the logistical complexity of organizing such a multinational event.[3]

The IDF described the exercise's founding purpose as testing the participating group's general aerial capabilities rather than rehearsing a specific operational situation.[3] More than 20 nations sent representatives to observe the inaugural edition, which also introduced an information system that relayed live data from aircraft to forces on the ground.[3]

IAF officials described three objectives for the exercise series: strengthening diplomatic ties between participating nations, exposing each force to new tactics and techniques, and improving military cooperation by requiring air forces to plan, fly, and debrief together.[6] Lt. Col. Guy, head of the IAF Air Division's Training Branch, summarized the goals as improving "the operational readiness of all air forces involved" through mutual learning while showing that the IAF is "an advanced, strong and leading force."[4]

2013 — First Edition

Blue Flag began in November 2013 when fighter aircraft from the Greek and Italian air forces joined Israeli and American counterparts for joint training in Israel.[3] The exercise involved more than 50 Israeli and foreign fighter jets and was described as the largest military air exercise in Israel's history at that time.[7] Activities included assessing general aerial capabilities, identifying anti-aircraft and surface-to-air missiles, mock dogfights, aerial refueling, attacks on fixed and moving targets, and damage-assessment exercises.[7] The IDF emphasized that the drill was not tied to any specific operational scenario or adversary.[3]

2015 — Second Edition

The second Blue Flag brought together the Israeli, US, Greek, and Polish air forces against a fictional enemy.[8] Israeli and American F-15 squadrons and Israeli, Greek, and Polish F-16 squadrons flew across nearly all of Israel's airspace, using simulated weapons against fictional missile launchers, convoys, and aircraft.[8] Planning began nearly eight months before the exercise started on October 18, with IAF planners contacting each participating country individually to ask what it wanted to train for and then collaborating through planning, execution, and debriefing.[8] Germany and other countries sent pilots and officers to observe without participating.[8]

2017 — Third Edition

The third Blue Flag was the largest edition to that point, involving pilots from Israel, India, the United States, Greece, Poland, France, Italy, and Germany. Approximately 1,200 people, including commanders and technical personnel, took part at Ovda Air Base north of Eilat.[6] India, Germany, and France were participating for the first time, and German fighter aircraft flew over Israel for the first time in nearly a century.[6] The German delegation brought six Eurofighters, the French five Mirage 2000AD fighters, and the Indian delegation a C-130J Hercules transport aircraft and special-forces personnel.[6]

For scenario purposes, organizers assigned the opposing sides fictional country names: "Falcon Land" for the blue force and "No War Land" for the red force.[2] The IAF's red squadron simulated the enemy using fictional intelligence and Arabic pilot call signs. A real Patriot battery challenged blue-force aircraft, and exercise directors applied equal standards to all participants, including by "shooting down" Israeli fighters during simulations.[2] Participants communicated in English and worked through generic scenarios tailored to the air forces' training priorities.[2]

A Ynet report described the 2017 exercise as lasting two weeks, involving roughly 100 aircraft and about 1,000 sorties, and representing the high point of the IAF's training cycle over the preceding two years.[2]

2019 — Fourth Edition

Blue Flag 2019 ran for 10 days and involved 70 combat aircraft from five air forces flying 19 sorties at six locations around Israel.[9] The participating foreign air forces were those of the United States, Germany, Italy, and Greece, while Britain, Japan, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Croatia sent observers.[9] Israel and Italy used the F-35 in an international exercise for the first time, and Patriot missile batteries simulated advanced anti-aircraft fire.[9] The smaller roster than in 2017 reflected a decision to focus on advanced fourth-generation-plus and fifth-generation aircraft; every participating pilot was required to have at least 300 flight hours.[10]

The exercise continued during fighting in Gaza, with the IDF stating that it made adjustments for professional and safety reasons.[9][10] Israeli F-16s from Squadron 115 played the opposing force in several scenarios, while Squadron 133's F-15s led the exercise.[9] Support aircraft, helicopters, remotely piloted drones, ground-based Patriot batteries, and Eurofighter Typhoons also took part.[9][10] A fictional enemy state was drawn on the exercise map in the Arava, and the IAF red squadron simulated the opposing force. The scenario reflected the challenge posed by advanced air-defense systems, including Russian-supplied S-300 batteries in Syria.[10]

2021 — Fifth Edition

The 2021 Blue Flag—the largest and most operationally complex edition to that point—ran from October 17 to October 28 at Ovda Air Base.[4][11] Eight air forces participated: Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and India.[5] Almost 80 fighter jets took part, along with an estimated 1,500 foreign technical and administrative personnel.[4][12] The exercise aimed to strengthen international cooperation, deepen the integration of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, and build air-force capabilities in challenging operational environments. Participants practiced air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, responses to advanced surface-to-air missile threats, and operations in enemy territory.[5]

The 2021 edition featured several firsts: the first deployment of a British fighter squadron in Israel since the country's establishment, the first deployment of an Indian Mirage fighter squadron in Israel, and the first deployment of a French Rafale fighter squadron in Israel.[4] The United States had planned to bring F-35s but could not transport them because its military airlift assets had been mobilized for evacuation operations from Afghanistan.[13]

Foreign aircraft included six German Eurofighters, five Italian F-35s and five Italian G550s, six British Eurofighters, four French Rafales, five Indian Mirages, four Greek F-16s, and six US F-16CJ aircraft.[12] Israeli units included the 106th Spearhead Squadron, the 119th Squadron, the 115th Flying Dragon Squadron, the 140th Golden Eagle Squadron, the 116th Lions of the South Squadron, and the 122nd Nachshon Squadron.[12]

For the first time in the series, the results of one day's engagements affected the forces' starting strength and circumstances on the following day, creating a continuous multi-day campaign rather than a series of isolated sorties.[14] Israeli and Italian F-35 crews planned, briefed, and debriefed together in separate secure areas, described as the first time F-35 air forces had done so within the exercise.[14] The IAF's 115th Squadron, serving as the red force, constructed and controlled the opposing-force scenarios, selected exercise rules, and calibrated the simulated enemy's challenge level.[15]

The fictional adversary was named Dragonland, but organizers described the training as generic rather than tied to a named theater such as Lebanon or Gaza.[15] Scenarios included long-range strikes, air-to-air combat, cooperation with ground forces, escort operations, and confrontation with mobile air-defense systems.[13][15]

The exercise opened with a flypast over Jerusalem led by IAF commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin in an F-15, accompanied by an Israeli F-35I and German Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz in a Eurofighter specially painted with Israeli and German flags.[4][16] The aircraft flew over national institutions and Yad Vashem. The two commanders then visited the museum, attended a memorial ceremony, and laid a wreath for Holocaust victims.[16] Norkin said, "we fly in a joint coalition in limited airspace, wing to wing with the partnering air forces," adding that the joint training prepared IAF personnel for real-time scenarios.[17]

Blue Flag 2021 also functioned as a form of aerial diplomacy, allowing foreign air forces to train with Israeli pilots and observe Israeli methods.[12] UAE Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al Alawi attended as an observer and guest following the Abraham Accords.[13] Representatives from South Korea, Finland, Romania, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Croatia, and other countries attended to observe or learn without active participation.[12]

Blue Flag exercises are based at Ovda Air Base north of Eilat, and the 2017, 2019, and 2021 editions each lasted or were scheduled to last approximately two weeks.[2][10] In 2017 and 2019, participants communicated in English; the 2019 edition used NATO flying procedures and required every participating pilot to have at least 300 flight hours.[2][10] In 2017, organizers planned two sorties per day, with the second sortie flown at night three times during the reported week.[18] A joint command room staffed by representatives of multiple air forces tracked performance, and crews were scored on their results.[18]

Organizers often assign opposing sides fictional country identities, allowing scenario planning without formally identifying a real adversary.[2][15] The IAF's 115th Squadron serves as the red force, building scenarios and selecting rules intended to make the simulated enemy sufficiently challenging.[15] In 2021, the red squadron was reinforced with F-16s from other squadrons, with conformal fuel tanks removed to make the aircraft resemble those of the opposing force.[15]

A recurring feature is the integration of different aircraft generations. The 2019 and 2021 editions emphasized combining fourth-generation and fifth-generation platforms, with F-35s operating alongside F-16s, F-15s, Eurofighters, Rafales, and Mirages.[10][5] Patriot batteries represented advanced surface-to-air threats in several editions, while unmanned aircraft, helicopters, and transport or support aircraft also featured.[12][10]

Participating air forces have noted differences between their domestic training environments and the Israeli setting. Foreign pilots practiced low-altitude flying and flare use that they could not conduct over Europe, while Indian pilots responded well to the exercise's fast-paced scenarios.[13][14] Post-mission debriefs used flight-data recording systems to capture information for review by aircrews and evaluators.[11]

Blue Flag has evolved beyond a training event to serve as a vehicle for Israeli aerial diplomacy and international military integration. A BESA Center analysis argued that Israel's participation in multinational exercises demonstrates competence in combined operations and provides preparation for possible scenarios, signaling to allies and adversaries that Israel could contribute militarily in a future coalition.[1]

Several editions carried particular diplomatic weight. At Blue Flag 2017, German fighter aircraft flew over Israel for the first time in nearly a century.[6] The 2021 opening flypast over Jerusalem—with Israeli and German air-force commanders flying in formation over Yad Vashem and national institutions—was presented as a symbol of the two countries' partnership in light of the history of the Holocaust.[16] An Israeli squadron officer noted that his grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and said that, despite the emotional weight, he approached cooperation with German pilots professionally, as he would with any partner air force.[15]

The 2021 visit by UAE Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Nasser Mohammed Al Alawi, who attended as an observer and guest following the Abraham Accords, illustrated Blue Flag's diplomatic role.[13] The exercise has repeatedly drawn observers from countries beyond the active participant list: more than 20 nations sent representatives in 2013, while personnel from several additional countries observed the 2021 edition.[3][12]

The planned 2023 edition of Blue Flag was canceled. German Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, whose visit had been scheduled to coincide with the exercise, traveled to Israel despite the cancellation to express solidarity.[19]

Sources covering individual Blue Flag editions have reported differing aircraft totals, personnel estimates, and country lists. These variations may reflect differing counting methods or reporting scopes, but the accounts do not reconcile them. For the 2021 edition, the Jewish Virtual Library reported almost 80 fighter jets, JNS reported 70 aircraft, and The Jerusalem Post reported approximately 40 foreign aircraft in addition to dozens of Israeli aircraft.[4][17][12] Personnel estimates for the same edition range from about 1,000 to 1,500 foreign soldiers, officers, and support personnel.[13][11]

Two Jewish Virtual Library accounts of the 2017 edition differ on whether India participated in a June exercise or first participated in a separate November edition that year.[7][20] Similarly, a Ynet article published ahead of the 2017 exercise described Blue Flag as having been held annually at Ovda since 2003, while other reports characterize the multinational international exercise as beginning in 2013 and recurring every two years.[21][3] Reports on the 2017 edition also differ on the total number of participating countries, with one account listing seven foreign air forces alongside Israel and another counting nine countries, including one participant whose identity was not disclosed.[2][18]