Air Force 'Orange Flag' exercise tests data transfers in combat

An "Orange Flag" exercise united land units, spacecraft and over 40 aircraft to study the transfer of test data for warfighting, the U.S. Air Force announced.

The test activities spanned 40,000 square miles of California and Nevada, with Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., as its command post, the Air force said in a statement on Monday.

"Orange Flag is an opportunity for participants to integrate technology into operationally representative scenarios at any and all technology readiness levels," said Maj. Brandon Burfeind, Orange Flag director. "Our goal is to disrupt traditional test timelines and expose technologies to difficult situations early and often."

This exercise, conducted three times per year, focused on evaluating data driven assessments of interoperability, lethality, and survivability, using all available data inputs, including those available from satellites and in cyberspace.

Notable successes in the 2020 test series include the progress made in connecting F-35 Lightning II fighter planes directly to Army artillery fire without human-in-the-loop intervention, the Air Force said.

"We are excited to bring a new set of capabilities and test objectives to Orange Flag in 2021," said Maj. Daniel Prudhomme, Orange Flag operations director.

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