Air crews from a Moray base are heading to the USA to take part in the biggest and most complex air warfighting exercise in the world.
The team from 1 (Fighter) Squadron from RAF Lossiemouth will be at Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada for Exercise Red Flag.
They will join colleagues from the US and Royal Australian air forces in a series of realistic combat missions over the area’s vast bombing and gunnery ranges.
Even the act of flying a squadron of RAF Typhoon FGR4 multi-role fighters from the UK to the USA is a complex process.
Known as a “trail”, it is possible only with meticulous planning.
Each plane will be refuelled in the air 13 times from a Voyager aircraft as they follow a route over the Azores, Bermuda and the east coast of the USA.
An RAF spokesman said: “We start planning the trail four weeks in advance and while we’ve been conducting trails for many years each one is different.
“When we get tasked we plan the route and determine where each air-air refuelling will take place. This then gives us the information we require to obtain diplomatic clearances and to book airspace.
“When trailing fast jets over long distances we need to remain within 90 minutes of a diversion airfield lest we have any problem with one of the aircraft.
“We also have to factor in the sea temperature to ensure that in the unlikely event of a pilot having to eject that they are able to survive in the water for as long as possible.”