F-35C And F-22 Train Against Complex Air Defenses
The F-35C Lightning II and F-22 Raptor operated together during Red Flag Alaska 26-3, where U.S. forces trained against simulated peer and near-peer threats, complex air defenses and battlefield disruptions. The exercise ran from Aug. 14 to Aug. 18 and represented the third and final Red Flag Alaska iteration of 2026.
Takeaways
F-35C Lightning II and F-22 Raptor fighters trained together against simulated peer threats and complex air defenses during Red Flag Alaska 26-3.
The fighter force included F-35Cs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, and F-22s from the Air Force’s 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. An E-3 Sentry from the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, also participated.
The combination placed two different fifth-generation fighter types within a larger air battle framework supported by airborne command and control. The training was designed to move beyond individual aircraft proficiency toward coordinated operations in a contested environment.
Why Red Flag Alaska Matters
Red Flag Alaska uses the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, which covers approximately 120,000 square miles of airspace. The range allows U.S. and partner forces to progress from individual tactical skills to large-scale engagements involving multiple aircraft and mission areas.
The size of the training area is particularly important for air combat exercises because it allows forces to practice operations across greater distances rather than limiting engagements to a small training box.
The Air Force said Red Flag Alaska 26-3 brought together 79 aircraft from 10 units across the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. The exercise concluded Aug. 28 after two weeks of realistic combat training, although the F-35C and F-22 activity highlighted in this report took place Aug. 14 to Aug. 18.
F-35C And F-22 Bring Different Strengths
The F-35C is the carrier-capable variant of the F-35 family. The U.S. Navy describes the F-35C as a fifth-generation aircraft with stealth, enhanced lethality and survivability, a robust communications suite and the ability to employ internal or external weapons.
The F-22, meanwhile, was developed primarily around air dominance. The Air Force identifies stealth, supercruise, maneuverability and integrated avionics as core characteristics of the Raptor. Its sensor and avionics architecture is designed to provide pilots with a high level of situational awareness while operating against advanced air threats.
That difference is important when considering the value of combined training.
The exercise was not simply about placing two stealth fighters in the same formation. It provided an opportunity to practice how different aircraft, sensors, weapons and command-and-control systems function together when the battlespace becomes increasingly difficult to manage.
Aircraft Primary Service Key Training Relevance F-35C Lightning II U.S. Marine Corps Stealth, sensing, networking and carrier-capable multirole operations F-22 Raptor U.S. Air Force Air dominance, stealth, supercruise and advanced air combat E-3 Sentry U.S. Air Force Airborne command and control Training Included Battlefield Disruptions
One of the more significant elements of Red Flag Alaska 26-3 was its designation as a Special Technical Operation exercise.
According to the exercise organizers, scenarios introduced operational disruptions intended to replicate conditions associated with peer and near-peer conflicts. These included non-kinetic effects designed to disrupt coordination and complicate operations.
That matters because modern air warfare is not limited to aircraft engaging aircraft or missiles engaging targets.
A major air operation depends on communications, data exchange, command networks, navigation, sensors and decision-making. If those functions become degraded or disrupted, pilots and commanders must continue operating with incomplete or delayed information.
The exercise therefore tested an important part of modern air combat readiness: the ability of a force to maintain coordinated operations when its normal information flow is under pressure.
The Role Of The E-3 Sentry
The participation of an E-3 Sentry added another layer to the training.
The E-3 is an airborne command-and-control platform that can support the broader air picture. Its presence alongside F-35Cs and F-22s reflects the reality that air dominance operations normally depend on more than fighter aircraft alone.
The operational value comes from connecting different capabilities into a functioning force. Fighters provide combat power, while airborne command and control can help coordinate the wider engagement.
This type of integration becomes increasingly important as forces operate across larger areas and against opponents equipped with advanced sensors, aircraft, electronic warfare systems and air-defense networks.
Complex Air Defenses Remain A Major Challenge
Red Flag Alaska 26-3 specifically required participants to coordinate joint and coalition operations against complex air-defense systems. The exercise combined multiple effects to train forces to overcome those threats in a contested environment.
For fifth-generation aircraft, the challenge is not simply achieving low observability.
Stealth can reduce an aircraft’s detectability, but modern air-defense networks can combine multiple sensors, communications links and weapons systems. Training therefore has to account for the wider system rather than treating an air-defense battery as an isolated target.
This makes large-force exercises valuable. Pilots can practice the interaction between aircraft, command-and-control assets and other supporting capabilities while facing simulated disruptions.
The F-22’s air-dominance role is particularly relevant in this context. The Air Force says the aircraft combines stealth, integrated avionics and supercruise to support operations against advanced air threats.
The F-35C brings a different set of capabilities, including stealth, advanced sensing and networking. The Marine Corps aircraft therefore contributes to the broader force rather than functioning only as a conventional strike platform.
What The Exercise Says About Joint Air Operations
The most important lesson from the training is the emphasis on integration.
The F-35C and F-22 are operated by different U.S. military services and were designed around different primary missions. Yet a real contingency would require them to function as parts of the same air campaign.
Red Flag Alaska creates a controlled environment where those relationships can be tested repeatedly.
The exercise also included allied and partner participation across its broader 2026 schedule. Red Flag Alaska 26-2, for example, involved more than 70 aircraft and approximately 2,100 personnel from U.S. and partner nations.
That multinational element matters for Pacific operations, where U.S. forces could be required to operate alongside allied aircraft and other joint capabilities across large distances.
The Broader Pacific Relevance
Alaska’s geography gives the training environment particular relevance to Pacific air operations.
The Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex provides a large overland training area where forces can practice operations at a scale that is difficult to reproduce at smaller ranges. Pacific Air Forces describes Red Flag Alaska as a venue for realistic deployed-environment training, interoperability and contingency response.
For the United States, that supports a broader readiness requirement: maintaining the ability to generate and coordinate combat airpower under contested conditions.
The exercise does not prove how the aircraft would perform in an actual conflict. Instead, its value lies in giving crews and supporting units the opportunity to identify problems, refine procedures and improve coordination before those capabilities are required operationally.
What Comes Next For Fifth-Generation Integration
The U.S. Air Force is also moving toward a future force in which fifth-generation fighters operate alongside newer systems and autonomous aircraft.
In June 2026, the Department of the Air Force announced contracts connected with development and production of its first-generation Collaborative Combat Aircraft, while also establishing a competitive market for mission-autonomy software.
That development increases the importance of exercises that test not only individual aircraft but the ability of different platforms to share information and perform complementary missions.
Red Flag Alaska 26-3 provides a current example of that approach. F-35Cs, F-22s and an E-3 operated within a scenario that included simulated advanced air defenses and disrupted battlefield conditions.
For U.S. air forces, the objective is increasingly broader than mastering a single aircraft. It is building the ability to operate a connected force when an adversary is actively trying to disrupt that force.
Bottom Line
The F-35C and F-22 training during Red Flag Alaska 26-3 demonstrated the continuing U.S. emphasis on integrated air operations against sophisticated threats.
The exercise combined fifth-generation fighters, airborne command and control, complex simulated air defenses and Special Technical Operations effects inside one large training environment.
Its significance is less about a particular simulated engagement and more about the operational problem being addressed: how to maintain air combat effectiveness when advanced defenses and battlefield disruptions make coordination harder.
That remains a central requirement for U.S. airpower in the Indo-Pacific and other contested theaters.
