USAF and the Navy conducted a joint air defense exercise last week to improve integration while defending the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group against simulated threats in the Persian Gulf. Two Air Force tankers and two F-22 Raptors from the 525th Expeditionary Squadron joined 13 Navy aircraft in the Oct. 25 exercise, according to a Navy
release. The forces were divided between “red air” and “blue air” groups. The cruisers USS
San Jacinto and USS
Monterey, the destroyer USS
Hopper, and the
Eisenhower itself also took part in the training. The Strike Group, which
deployed in June to support Operation Inherent Resolve, continued its real-world mission during the joint exercise, according to the release.
